Why Women Read More Fiction

Ever been curious about who reads more fiction books? Well, I'm here to tell you, it's women. With some statistics and studies to back it up!

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Hey, I’m Gina 👋 If you like video commentary on books, you're in the right place!

I post videos on the world of books and reading. Including deep dives into reading psychology, and fun facts you probably didn't know.

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[GinaLuciaReads]

What do you think? Do women read more fiction?

[bluecannibaleyes]

As a woman who absolutely hated Fourth Wing and really loved Mistborn, I don’t feel represented by most of the popular modern female authors at all. I think it would be a huge shame if romantasy completely replaced actual fantasy. It’s already getting harder for readers like me to find fantasy that we like because of this trend. I know I’m in the minority of women for not liking to read about romance, though.

[bradybuncha]

I don't know many men that spend much time at all at reading. When first introduced to other men and they find out that I love to read you most generally get a strange look from them like reading is bad. But on the other hand almost every woman I know reads and they read a lot!

[Cornelius_]

As a man who loves reading, the current plague on why men don’t read as much is because it’s not seen as “productive” in this growing hustle culture that started in the 80’s. Why take hours of your day reading fiction when you can listen to podcasts, be an influencer, leisure isn’t something men are told to do. It’s all about how you “maximize” your time and effort.
It’s truly sad, but I started a men’s only book club that encourages any man to read fiction, whether they don’t or already have.

[ashappyasiget]

As a female reader, i've noticed i tend to read more female authors. Female-authored books are more relatable to me in terms of story and characters. I suppose it's the same for male counterpart. I'm also a bit biased towards male authors who write amazing female characters.
The very prescriptive nature of self-help books is not very appealing to me. The only non-fiction i like are biographies.

[hallohallucination]

from my own experiences, I believe that more women in general have the hobby of reading and becoming authors, while men in the publishing industries take on different jobs such as editing. Of course in no way are my accounts fully accurate. I could be completely wrong for all I know, however, we do see this on social platforms, there are only a handful of men I know or watch on the 'booktube' side of this platform. Although we can also see that most of the 'classics' are written by male authors, it is interesting to see how times have changed the publishing industries. I do believe that misogyny had definitely played a part in the fact that men dominated the writing world back in the day.

I would love to see a video on why men might be more inclined to read non-fiction, I know that at least in my country, men would definitely be embarrassed to read a book that might have even a tinge of romance in it, which is really a pity considering that they might be shamed for liking something as simple as a book that no one would bat an eyelash to if it were in the hands of a woman just because of the fact that romance is something inherently 'girly'

[millennialrox]

I'm not surprised! I have never seen my husband open a fiction book. And even with business/self-help books, he does it quite rarely. He listens to a ton of podcasts instead.

[MargaretPinard]

Maybe you mention it later, but I'm commenting before I lose my thought 😅 I wonder about feminized professions, and whether the change in status (i.e. liveable wages) of writers, or the types of publishing contracts most women get, is also an influence in the changing demographic? 🧐

[tiemimats]

I wonder if we read more because we are seeking escape from our day-to-day lives and trying to find some sort of pleasure in fiction worls/narratives. My husband doesn't understand the appeal of reading, and I was born in a house that read a lot of books.

[arobinreads]

I don't really have an opinion on this. Studies seem to say that it is the case. I myself don't see it in my life. The readers around me all read fiction the most.

[Richard.HistoryLit]

This is a quality production. Deserves lots more views than 1.2k after 6 months. However I have no idea what you think you are referring to with respect to the issue highlighted late on in the video of diversity. This sounds received political-religion? perhaps not