Women now dominate the book business. Why not other creative industries?

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2023/04/04/1164109676/women-now-dominate-the-book-business-why-there-and-not-other-creative-industries

by atlasunshrugged • 3 years ago

28 18 3 years ago

npr.org

hacknews20• 3 years ago

Why would/does anyone want a specific gender to dominate anything, why instead wouldn’t you want it to be dominated by whoever is the best-fit people/persons in the world at the time? ‘Dominated’, oh dear, aggressive language creeping In again to media description. Shock.

assimpleaspossi• 3 years ago

This is why I stopped listening to NPR a couple of years ago. They are now as biased and sexist and racist as any on the planet while pretending they are being fair and balanced.

7952• 3 years ago

I don't think the article is suggesting one gender should dominate.

It is possible that on average one or the other gender will be better at a particular craft. For historic reasons we don't necessarily know where those natural abilities fall. And obviously the average is not a good predictor of how well a particular individuals will do.

drstewart• 3 years ago

Yet I don't think NPR would have written an article in the same tone about white men, for example

endisneigh3• 3 years ago

You should ignore the title, the article itself is substantial. These sort of takes are why they use such inflammatory headlines to begin with. It is a good question - why are there so many writers who are women compared to other creative professions?

nverno2• 3 years ago

To me, the obvious answer is women read much more than men nowadays, so it's unsurprising more women also enter into the book business. The article is searching for some sort of conflict between the sexes, but provides nothing substantial to support one.

havblue• 3 years ago

I think this is a basic template for many npr stories. Name a group and discuss the group's progress or setbacks in an industry over the decades. Discuss in relation to racism and sexism.

The story is easy to research and get quotes on while listeners who donate typically enjoy the story. At the very least it also annoys some people as well, which drives more discussion.

1bent• 3 years ago

I need to read more new books; I've not been seeing the benefits of this.

TMWNN• 3 years ago

Then, around 1970, female authorship really began to explode. "There was a sea change after 1970," Waldfogel says.

That's exactly when Harlequin expanded into the US, causing the entire bodice-ripper paperback market to explode worldwide. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_novel#Rise_of_the_cate...> I don't mean to say that the entirety of the jump is from romance, but the massive growth of that genre definitely contributed. Then, of course, YA fiction; Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Twilight, and the many, many, many women authors they inspired.

Ecstatify• 3 years ago

Seems like the article is just an advert for the book "The Glow".

How to advertise books in 2023

1. Select book to advertise

2. Create some narrative linked to book that will create outrage

3. Profit

boeingUH60• 3 years ago

Women must dominate all the creative industries and leave men in the minority. They must also dominate

Farming

Bricklaying

Underwater welding

Fishery

Carpentry…./s

orwin• 3 years ago

Title != Article

fmajid• 3 years ago

Not surprising, in my experience book groups in the US are overwhelmingly female.

Women now dominate the book business. Why not other creative industries?

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