Gender roles

Shoop, you might not realize what librarians do...they don't just stand there and scan your books. They make decisions about what to put library resources into, they help people do research, they foster childrens' and adults' desire to learn, they sponsor art exhibits, speakers, forums, community groups etc., they create and maintain an environment that encourages people to grow. Becoming a head librarian is like becoming a CEO -- many library budgets are pretty big and the organizations are big.

And that's just public libraries. Specialized or private librarians maintain the historical record of an organization and foster its workings.

Hooray for librarians! I love them.

A desire for personal achievement.

Attaining the education for becoming a librarian is a noteworthy goal, but no desire to move up from that position over the course of a career wouldn't be.

So how do you define personal achievement?

all that sounds horribly unfufilling and unambitious.

seriously though if ambition is to move up the ranks of any business than where would people who own their own businesses go next? do they stop being ambitious?

people can grow in their position laterally as well.

So how do you define personal achievement?

I could see the job of being a librarian being fulfilling, but not very ambitious.

Where do people who own their own businesses go next? Seriously? They are engaged in constant efforts to grow their business. Ask any business owner and that's what they will tell you the ambitious business owner's plan is.

I like this, it's like a wish list thread.

I'm 41 and live alone in my own place. No kids and now too late to start. I'd say instinctively I'm not that traditional about gender roles but I'm fiercely independent, have always had to be and now prefer to know that I'm relying on my own resources.

When dating I'd like some moderate persuing and protecting. I want to know that a man had it in him to look out for me and try to stop bad things happening. Also if he's keen on me then I'd like him to say it and show it. I'd like all of this traditional "manliness" to stop short of making me feel, in any way, pushed around or too uprooted. I don't want to feel like I've got to fight for my independence.

In a live in relationship I don't mind who does what. I'd expect to be with someone who's current domestic set up is like mine and is used to doing everything for himself (paying the bills, cooking & cleaning, laundry ect). I think I'd be entirely happy if we both picked the things we didn't mind doing and then divided fairly the things we both hated. Except for spiders. He must kill the spiders. If he is scared of spiders we will have to hire a cleaner to do it for us.

I'm looking for a man in the mold of my Dad. He is undeniably a man and has raised my sister and myself to be very realistic about the potential and limits of that role but at the same time he has never allowed us to princess it up or expected us to settle for less because we're women.

He has supported and encouraged us and our Mum in all that we have done and although the way my parents share out the domestic chores wouldn't suit me, the way they have respected each other as people seems way more important than gender roles.

that's my point. can't an employee of that business be ambitious without getting promoted? sure, you can learn how to do other's jobs, take on more responsibility, simply be better at your job.

Personally I wouldn't see becoming a librarian as an ambitious goal. If you wanted to be the head of a library that is something different. Maybe it's just a matter of definition. What about being a librarian would you see as ambitious?

I sense danger.

A desire for personal achievement.

Attaining the education for becoming a librarian is a noteworthy goal, but no desire to move up from that position over the course of a career wouldn't be.