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The Literary Gender Divide

By March 29, 2015September 20th, 2015Guest Blogs, Reading Habits

“Why are 80% of 250,000 people women? Do men not read, and then when they do, do they not read fiction?”

For Reading Addicts has an incredible 250, 000 + followers on Facebook, and yet 80% of these are women. I can’t claim to have a profound knowledge of the gender divide when it comes to reading because I always assumed that it was irrelevant – when knowledge and enjoyment is the outcome of something, surely all you need is a brain and not specific genitalia?

But, as the statistics show (don’t they ruin everything?!), I have been living in my own little naive world. A 2013 US survey shows that 74% of women are more likely to read a print book, compared to 64% of men, 33% of women are more likely to read an E- book, compared to 23% of men and 15% of women are likely to listen to an audio book, with 14% of men closely following. So if in both categories women are 10% more likely to read a print book or E- book than men, and there is only a 1% difference in the amount of men and women who listen to audio books (there was no one with visual impairment in the study) – is it reasonable to assume that the men who find pleasure in fiction or non- fiction simply find it more leisurely and relaxing to not have to read the book? Maybe so, but this still doesn’t account for the 10% gender divide where reading actual books are concerned. Do women simply enjoy reading more, and if so, why?

readingsnapshotIn an admittedly now outdated 2009 UK survey, The Guardian found that out of 2, 000 people 48% of women were considered to be ‘Page Turners’ (avid readers), compared with only 26% of men who took a more ‘leisurely’ approach. The same study showed that women are more likely to have several books on the go, whilst men prefer to read one book at a time. This may suggest that someone who reads faster and is therefore more likely to read a higher amount of books enjoys reading more than someone who reads slower and therefore less books. However, it seems to me that some people are simply quicker readers than others, and that the speed at which someone reads is not directly correlated to their enjoyment – although it is more likely to result in having read more books.

In my quest to determine why fewer men read books than women, I decided to tackle the tricky subject of genre preference. The Huffington Post seems to think that fewer men read because ‘women readers and writers today are heavily represented across many genres’, and apparently a lot of men just aren’t fans of strong female characters. However, I find this accusation hard to believe – I know so many men who are devoted to authors such as Terry Pratchett, Stephen King and James Patterson. Men may be (but not necessarily) more drawn to authors of their own sex, but Pratchett in particular was wonderful at creating, well let’s be honest, any character he wanted, but he also made a variety of wonderful female characters such as Tiffany Aching and Granny Weatherwax. With this in mind, I find it hard to believe that men are that easily ‘put off’ by a book that has a strong female character, and if they are, there are still thousands of books with hardly any women in at all. Or books that feature women who are objectified and misogynised every other page, y’know if that’s your thing.

Sidenote: It makes me sad to talk about Terry Pratchett in past tense 🙁




So maybe it is fair to assume that there are certain genre preferences according to gender: Women read anything from romance, to fantasy, to thriller, whilst men are more likely to read fantasy, thriller and non- fiction. To prove that this isn’t just me speculating, a 2013 survey found that ‘men are more likely to read nonfiction books than fiction, while the opposite holds true for women: 55% of women read fiction in 2012, and 48% read nonfiction, according to an update of a previous NEA report released in 2013.’

Ok, so so far we have found that:

  • Women are 10% more likely than men to read in general, but the divide between men and women listening to audio books is a tiny 1%
  • Women are more ‘avid readers’ and generally read faster than men, and are therefore likely to read a higher percentage of books
  • Women are more likely to have several books on the go, whilst men prefer to have a monogamous relationship with said book
  • Certain sources believe that men read less than women because they are put off by the female characters, but I find this speculation to be unsatisfactory
  • More men prefer to read non- fiction than women

Yet none of this has accounted for the 10% divide. Do men generally have less time to read than women? Unlikely. Do they prefer to spend their time on the X- Box, Playstation or watching TV? Quite possibly- but this opens up a whole other set of questions that I couldn’t possibly go into here.

Jeez, I’m starting to think that men secretly read as much as women but for some weird, manly reason, they don’t like to admit it (Is it not macho enough?)

So here is my next question: Do men read but not enjoy following blogs and Facebook pages?

Here I feel lies the answer most likely to be closest to solving this nightmarish gender mystery.

It seems plausible to me that men and women process information differently and are therefore likely to have different reactions to something afterwards. On average, women seem to have more of a desire for community, whilst men seem to process their information internally, before moving onto the next book. In 2012, Nielsen found that women, overall, are more likely to engage with social media than men. According to the survey, women are 8% more likely than the average male to build or update a personal blog. Similarly, women are 18% more likely to fan or follow a brand on Facebook or other social media sites. The same report found that women generally spend more time online than men, more frequently, whilst another survey found that “women use Facebook more than men,” with women averaging 11 updates a week – compared to 6 updates for their male counterparts.

I wonder if this is what lies at the heart of the For Reading Addicts gender divide? If 80% of 250, 000 followers are women (200, 000), only 50, 000 of them are men. It is perhaps consoling to think that this does not mean that less men are reading, but it is simply that they – for whatever reasons – simply prefer not to interact with social media. So can we change this? As social media takes over everything (well done Kath, you’re on your way to world domination!), I find it hard to believe that the younger generations will not grow up as part of this world wide web through which all communication is not so slowly being mediated through. This includes you, boys. The older generations may have a sense of “solidarity” about them, but I am confident that the younger generations who are already growing up with social media and E- Books will, like us women, yearn to share their thoughts and experiences after having put down their book. And this is where For Reading Addicts will tempt them to join the fun – not with cookies (sorry) – but with great blogs, book reviews and communion.

bibliophagist

Sammy Evans, Poetic Pieces

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6 Comments

  • ken mueller says:

    Jean Rhys should be required reading for any male at university. And I’m not talking about her most poular novel “Wide Sargasso Sea” but her London and Paris novels: “After Leaving Mr. Mackenzie”, “Voyage in the Dark”, and “Good Morning, Midnight”. In these books Rhys delineates the depression, frustration and the spiritual poverty experienced by the woman as “object” with more clarity than any of her antecedants. Plus, her writing is absolutely stunning. A. Alvarez once proclaimed her “The Best Living English Novelist.” in his 1973 New York Times Book Review piece.
    http://www.unc.edu/~zellers/rhys/fmw.htm

  • Kasturi Patra says:

    I could identify with a lot of points raised in this article. From my personal experience, I read more than my husband, though his reading speed is way faster than mine. It is not like he doesn’t enjoy a good book but according to him most of the times after a hectic day, he prefers doing things which requires minimal mental engagement.

    However, another thing which I’ve observed from this article also holds true. He does admit that he doesn’t like reading contemporary authors (who are mostly female). Please don’t get me wrong. He is all for female rights and is one of the most liberal persons I know. He says he just doesn’t identify with such literature. He would rather prefer reading old Classics or authors such as P.G. Wodehouse or James Herriot. What I mean is, while I love reading say, a Jodie Picoult or a Jojo Moyes, somehow these don’t strike a chord with him. Not because of the mostly female-centric issues, it’s just that the subject matters don’t appeal to him. I am pushing him to read Neil Gaiman now, because I know he will enjoy fantasy and science-fiction. I really don’t know what to call it but trust me, it definitely is not chauvinism. It’s all a matter of preference maybe. For example, I’d hate to sit through a movie like Fast & Furious while he absolutely loves it!

    Also, the point you raised about engaging with the social media, I think it is very true as per my experiences. I love communicating with people about my interests, I love writing blog posts, short stories, updating status and ‘liking’ pages on Facebook. He is really silent on the internet. He’d much rather keep to himself than express his views. I don’t think all men think alike, but from my experiences I can vouch for the fact that maybe some men are more silent regarding social communication. However, he is always ready to help me out with my writing; making corrections, suggesting improvements, hence, I’m not really complaining. I respect his privacy. I just wish I could find him more contemporary authors whom he’d enjoy reading.

  • Bob says:

    As a guy who reads quite frequently, I can easily say the gender divide is due to our internal processing of what we just read. We want to absorb every little detail as if we were examining every single part of our favorite motorcycle, making sure we don’t miss a single piece of information. Internally processing allows us to make sure we cover everything, from cover to cover. Instantly sharing our thoughts, creating theories, etc. just gets in the way of absorbing every detail. We’re more focused on the ‘what-is’ than the ‘what-ifs’. Even with fiction. And by the time we’ve absorbed every last detail, and would be prepared to share with others, we dive right into the next book, looking for more information, whether for growth, entertainment, or whatever. This also explains why we stick to one book at a time. Multiple story-lines would interrupt our attention to all the little details. If you reach out to us, and bring up a book we love, we can chat with you for hours about it. But left to our own devices, we return to the chase before sharing is even considered.

  • Marko says:

    I detect a fallacy of logic here: “The same study showed that women are more likely to have several books on the go, whilst men prefer to read one book at a time. This may suggest that someone who reads faster and is therefore more likely to read a higher amount of books enjoys reading more than someone who reads slower and therefore less books.”
    Reading one book at a time does not equal to one being a slow reader. My wife and I are both avid readers and our reading speed is more or less the same (my Goodreads read count is higher mainly because I also read graphic novels every now and then), but she reads 3-4 books at the same time, while I read one at a time.
    Other than that, I suspect men enjoy social media less than women – at least the men I know are rarely online in comparison to me and many of them laugh at the idea of Facebook or using social media for anything other than chatting up women.

  • Robert W. M. Greaves says:

    I am a 59 year old male who reads a lot and sometimes has more than one book on the go at once (though they have to be completely different — fiction vs non fiction, novel vs short stories, different genres) so am presumably part of the “missing” demographic — or just a lot more unusual than I thought I was. But FWIW, my impression of For Reading Addicts is that it’s a female space with an occasional gender-neutral bone for males. I have noticed I have more tolerance for that kind of situation than many men I know.

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