Gender bias or gender difference?

I am so sick of people talking about gender bias, especially regarding management. I'm sure it happens here and there, but overall we're pretty much equal as far as employment goes. In the library world, most of us are women. Yet a much larger percentage of library directors are men. Why is that? Are people still so sexist they have to hire a man to do the job? But wait: how many women vs. men apply for management postitions? Men just tend to be more ambitious. That's how it is. Many women have no interest in having power.

Regarding salary (in)equity, I believe that men are generally more daring when negotiating salaries. I also believe that they are more proactive in asking for pay raises, if applicable. There are differences between the genders. I don't know about you, but I'm glad we aren't all the same.

Photo courtesy meganpru

We read banned books

The most challenged book of both 2006 and 2007 is a children's book based on a true story of a couple male penguins raising a chick from an orphaned egg. The book is And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. It must be a terrible book if it's been challenged more than any other for the past two years, right?

The library I work for is in a conservative community, so they never even purchased the book to begin with. After thinking about it for a while, I finally ordered the book through ILL (inter-library loan) from another library that saw value in adding this wonderful children's book to their collection. I was surprised it was as good as it was. It was so sweet, I almost cried. What on earth could be wrong with it?

What a good book to teach children about different families and about adoption. Oh no, they're gay! People really piss me off. Kids everywhere are not getting the chance to read this book that's destined to become a classic. Why? Because their parents are homophobic. This really happened, people! Get over yourselves and realize that homosexuality is perfectly natural. For goodness sake, don't teach your children to hate!

I bought my own copy, and I recommend that everyone else buy at least one copy. Buy one for family, buy one for friends. 

Note: The library where I work has bought a few copies since this post. They are shelved in the "Parenting" section.