With titles by men dominating the book review sections in newspapers there’s a striking gender gap in non-fiction. However, we can contribute to changing this.
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With titles by men dominating the book review sections in newspapers there’s a striking gender gap in non-fiction. However, we can contribute to changing this.
As a new author (Enchanted Islands, a memoir about my travel adventures inspired by the fantastical lands of The Odyssey, launches in May), I’m shocked by research by the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction showing that books by women secure only a quarter of total non-fiction book reviews in newspapers and are less likely to win prizes.
More work is needed to uncover the reasons behind the gap. Perhaps it can be partially explained by existing gender gaps in certain fields, like science and economics. Sieghart’s theory of an ‘authority gap’ – in simple terms that we still take women less seriously than men – feels like it could be a key driver. However you measure it, from women being paid less for writing, to women-authored books selling fewer copies, the gap is persistent. I’d love your support to close it. We can all help just by reading more books by female writers. Here are the books to read on my list.
Written by Laura Coffey.
Enchanted Islands: Travels through Myth & Magic, Love & Loss by Laura Coffey (Summersdale, £16.99) is available from all good book retailers: bookshop.org, Amazon
Lead image credit: Book Collector’s Suite at Hotel Pulitzer, Amsterdam
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