Men, women and book clubs: a gender divide observed
| Not long ago I had the pleasure of ‘leading’ the North York Central Library Book Club. (I place ‘leading’ in quotation marks because this lively group needed no leading.) For a newcomer to the book club scene, it was an interesting experience in many ways. But what I found most fascinating and perplexing was the complete and utter ABSENCE OF MEN! This is the second time I’ve participated in the club, and there was not a male in sight, either time, not even outside the meeting room looking longingly in. I couldn’t help but wonder why. Men who love reading, I know you’re out there. I’ve seen you reading on buses, in subway cars. In my capacity as librarian, I’ve even helped some of you track down a book you were eager to read. So what’s at the heart of this mystery? |
The Oprah Affect: Critical Essays on Oprah’s Book Club |
I did a little research, but other than confirming that men don’t participate in book clubs anywhere near as much as women do, it became clear pretty quickly that nobody has figured out the answer to this question. Many have speculated, though. For men, the specter of Oprah’s book club seems to cast a discouraging cloud over book groups – a cloud filled not with rain, but with female tears. In an article in Bookist, David Wright calls Oprah’s book choices, “narratives fraught with domestic anguish.” They are the type of books that “guys will cross to the other side of the street to avoid” he says. The Wheat Sheaf Literary Society, a Toronto men’s book club, proudly displays the phrase “definitely not the Oprah” on their website: seedickread.com. |
| Do men assume book club selections are all drawn from Oprah’s list, or if not, are Ophraesque? Wright goes on to say that men, “tend to hunt and gather in obscurer corners of the literary universe.” While women, apparen'tly, slurp up whatever weepy, syrupy, anguish-laced brew Oprah sees fit to bestow upon us. I know, sarcasm does not become me. |
| The book we discussed at the North York Central Library Book Club was not from Oprah’s list, and it was anything but ‘girly’, a word Wright uses in his piece.The book of the evening was Patrick DeWitt’s The Sisters Brothers, which tells of two bickering brothers stealing, killing, whoring and drinking their way from Oregon to California in the gold rush years. They are also (SPOILER ALERT!) responsible for the death of a clan of admirable beavers. Add river polluters to their rap sheet and I think you’ll agree — nothing ‘girly’ about this tale. Okay, I admit, one of the brothers goes on a diet to impress a member of the opposite sex, which could be seen as girly, (shades of the ‘chick lit’ classic Bridget Jones’ Diary…) but it’s not long before he goes back to his old ways of hunkering down by the camp fire swabbing bacon grease out of the frying pan with lardy biscuits. My point is that nobody should assume that library book club choices are all domestic melodramas, which may or may not involve courtship and corsets, but always involve tears. |
| Here’s another bit of speculation: In Publishers Weekly, Bob Lamm said that one of the reasons men don’t join book clubs is because they are seen as “too feminist.” “Since most men want their sexism to remain unchallenged, staying out of reading groups makes a certain kind of sense,” Lamm says. Or could it be that reading men lean towards non-fiction? Brad Martin, President of Random House Canada, thinks so: “As a rule, men prefer non-fiction or intelligent, non-commercial fiction… but there aren’t enough men (in book clubs) to move the needle.” (Whereas we women prefer fiction, particularly the non-intelligent commercial variety.) Oops, there’s that pesky sarcasm again… Got to work on that. |
| One possible answer to my question came up on blog posts on the topic of men and book clubs; several men wrote that they didn’t join book clubs because they want to be the ones to choose what they read. (For some reason, men’s supposed unwillingness to ask for directions comes to mind…) Or could it be that most men who like to read just don’t want to talk about what they read? Women are more verbal than men, so the stereotype goes. Why don’t more men join book clubs? It turns out the question is more complex than I imagined. Sidewalk social scientists, what’s your theory? |
| I can’t resist leaving you with this quote from novelist Ian McEwan: “Reading groups, readings, breakdowns of book sales all tell the same story: when women stop reading, the novel will be dead.” |
16 thoughts on “Men, women and book clubs: a gender divide observed”
Reading is too important to take 100+ hours annually out of my top picks and essentially dedicate them to prep for social events. I’m always open to suggestions but don’t want to feel obliged to read a pile of books I know hold little appeal from page 10.
And to make an awkward question moreso; where were all the women in our The Recognitions club during summer ’10? Infinite Summer had a better ratio but not by August. Where are the female Bernhard scholars? Where are you, fabled woman whose favourite book is Moby Dick?
McEwan’s right; without dedicated female readers, E.L James would be toiling in obscurity.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. As for E.L. James, I’m sure there are lots of men reading “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Besides, one could as easily say without dedicated male readers, Lee Child would be toiling in obscurity. (For those who don’t know, he is the creator of a string of novels featuring Jack Reacher, an American ex-military police man who, though retired, somehow always gets tangled up in a dicey situation and plays the hero utilizing his he-man fighting and weapons skills.)
One of the good things about participating in a book club is you may end up reading something you wouldn’t have, left to your own devices, and thereby broaden your reading horizons.
Hello Maureen,
Thanks for another interesting post on books and reading — as always, you’ve given me (and others) lots to think about. Interestingly enough, I have a male friend out in Vancouver who is part of a men’s book club. I haven’t spoken with him recently about what they’ve been reading, but am now planning to do so — now that I think about it, he and his fellow book clubbers are probably a rather rare species.
While I love the idea of a book club and the social aspect of getting together with others to read and discuss a specific, assigned book, I must also agree with Al — I want to make my own choices about my reading material and read in a way that suits me. A book club experience with the Elegance of a Hedgehog underscored this for me.
Thanks again for a terrific post,
Not Quite Miss Rumphius
Thanks for your comment on the post. Based on my non-exhaustive research, your friend does seem to be a rarity. When you talk to him, it might be interesting to ask him where his book club meets. The few examples of men’s book clubs that I turned up all seemed to meet in pubs, or at least places where they could get a bite to eat!
I understand wanting to be the one to choose what you read. I feel the same way, in general. At the same time, I enjoyed the book club experience, even when I wasn’t that fond of the book. For one thing, knowing I was going to discuss the book resulted in me reading it more closely than I would have otherwise, which enriched the reading experience for me. I was also fascinated to hear what others thought, particularly when their opinions were so very different from mine! Participating in a book club can also get you out of your reading comfort zone, introducing you to a new author or genre, one you might otherwise not have considered. (Of course, there’s no guarantee that you’ll enjoy the book, as you imply!) And there is, of course, the social aspect, which is probably one of the main reasons people join book clubs.
Happy reading!
I, male!, am a member of a mixed male/female book club. We meet ten times a year and the gender divide is about 50/50. Rather unusual it seems. We meet ten times a year in one of the members house/apartments. There are always refreshments – coffee, cake, sandwiches and usually a glass of wine. We range in age from recently retired to 85, with diverse backgrounds. Our October book will be the Sisters Brothers and we have previously done the Elegance of the Hedgehog.
I haven’t answered your question though – why aren’t more book clubs mixed.
Han
Your book club sounds delightful, Han — not just the fact that both women and men attend, but because there is always coffee or cake or some other treat. It seems to me that the diversity of your backgrounds and the mix of men and women must lead to some lively discussion (and disagreement sometimes, I bet…) I still haven’t found an answer to the question I posed in this blog post some time ago. Thanks for your comment.
“One possible answer to my question came up on blog posts on the topic of men and book clubs; several men wrote that they didn’t join book clubs because they want to be the ones to choose what they read. (For some reason, men’s supposed unwillingness to ask for directions comes to mind…)”
For some reason I wonder if this sort of supposedly funny drivel has something to do with men’s general lack of interest in book clubs. But men are such good punching bags, aren’t they? Terrible analogy by the way: men who prefer to select their own reading matter aren’t lost or unsure of their way like the proverbial man who is unwiling to ask for instructions. Anyhow: big shock that someone might want to make their own choice of reading to devote an extended period of time to.
I’m a male librarian incidentally, one who mostly reads non-fiction.
I’m pretty sure that my particular brand of drivel is not the norm at book club meetings, and thus has nothing to do with “men’s general lack of interest in book clubs.” I have attended a total of two book club meetings, and there was not even a hint of drivel, with the exception, perhaps, of that which issued from myself. There was laughter, I must admit, but it was not out of proportion to the lively discussion of the merits or lack thereof of the book in question.
Anecdotal evidence indicates women attend book clubs in greater numbers than men. I find this interesting, and I can’t help but wonder why it is so. As a librarian, aren’t you curious about this too? Of course it’s not a “big shock” that people would want to make their own choice of reading material. I’d guess that applies to the majority of readers, both male and female. (The two are not mutually exclusive, of course — one can choose one’s own reading material, and attend a book club every so often.) It was certainly not my intention to treat men as “punching bags,” as you implied. I’m glad you commented, R. Oxide, even though you have taken me to task!
Since your response was so gracious I will try to dial down my cantankerousness a little and add this.
I guess it’s slightly interesting to me that so few men attend book discussion groups, but I’m more interested in the gender divide regarding fiction vs. non-fiction. (Doing searches on that topic is how I landed on this blog.) I would guess the disparity between male and female attendance at book clubs has a lot to do with the reading material chosen for them, but I could be underestimating other factors, like maybe male discomfort at being thrust in the middle of a mostly female conversation.
I haven’t had any professional responsibilities related to book clubs, so I’ve never had to give it any thought in that context.
One more comment, on this remark:
“One of the good things about participating in a book club is you may end up reading something you wouldn’t have, left to your own devices, and thereby broaden your reading horizons.”
I’m getting close to 50. Over my life so far, I have already accumulated more subjects of interest than I could possibly deal with adequately in one lifetime, or maybe a hundred, or a thousand, or an infinite number of lifetimes.
If I want to induce serendipitous discoveries, I can do it via the internet, with much less investment of my time than would be involved with a book club. It happens all the time even when I don’t set out for novel discoveries.
Whether there is a fiction/non-fiction gender divide is another interesting question – perhaps a blog post for another time. I’ve done no research on the topic, but I suspect the assumption is that women constitute the majority of fiction readers and men the majority of non-fiction readers. I wonder if your research supports that… I remember reading an article a few years ago addressing the concern that boys don’t read as much as girls. I never forgot the main point of the article, which argued that it wasn’t that boys didn’t read – they just read different material than girls (with the emphasis on non-fiction materials in various formats). (I’m certain that the need to read the text when playing video games helped motivate my son to read.)
I’m sure the limited amount of time people have to follow their reading interests is one of the reasons they don’t join book clubs. They want to devote the limited time they have to following their own interests. I put myself in that category.
But I can imagine many reasons people might be motivated to join a book club. An opportunity to socialize with like minded people (book lovers), a chance to practice speaking in front of a group, a way to help overcome shyness, to get more out of the book by listening to the interpretations and opinions of others, a non-intimidating starting point for getting involved in the community, or getting to know neighbours, a chance to improve language skills for immigrants, etc.
By the way, thanks for dialing back the cantankerousness!
As far as the gender divide in fiction reading, I can give you this:
“The survey data analyzed in this study reveal that 62 percent of women have read a work of fiction compared to 48 percent of men. . . . After controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, like education, we find that women are 2.3 times more likely to read a book of fiction in the past year compared to men. . . .” (Tepper, SJ. “Fiction Reading In America: Explaining The Gender Gap.” Poetics 27:4, 2000)
On the other hand, I’ve seen other figures from other studies which show a less dramatic difference than these.
I have not done serious research into any of this, just conducted some casual searches now and then.
I think your social reasons for joining book clubs make sense but they don’t appeal to me personally, at this time.
I looked up the article you mentioned in your comment. The conclusion is interesting — namely, that the way females are socialized is part of the explanation for the gender gap in fiction reading. According to the article, research seems to indicate that fiction reading is seen as an appropriate activity for girls, less so for boys. The article was published in 2000, and based on research that was done before that. I wonder if that particular finding has changed, as social norms gradually change…
Thanks for turning my attention to this interesting topic.
Oh yeah, I “forgot” to mention the conclusion, since I don’t find it convincing (or don’t like it, or both). 😉
I think it has to do with broader male-female differences, whether the result of socialization or genes, or a mix of both, that lead women to focus more on interpersonal relationships, with men giving more attention to things, with “things” including broader social structures and systems.
More stats here:
http://www.marketingcharts.com/direct/males-older-readers-like-non-fiction-14496/
Of related interest (and opening a more controversial can of worms):
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/unique-everybody-else/201209/why-there-are-sex-differences-in-general-
knowledge
I think one reason I am becoming more interested in all of this actually is that my current female colleagues tend to be more stereotypically feminine, very relationship-oriented, and not demonstrating a lot of intellectual curiosity, compared to what I was used to in my previous workplace (female colleagues who had broader interests and who I could relate to more).
Try again:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/unique-everybody-else/201209/why-there-are-sex-differences-in-general-knowledge
I went to a book club in Northampton, Massachusetts. Seven women and two men discussed “A Gesture Life” by Chang Rae Lee. The women ripped the male character apart, with no redeeming quality ever. The men tagged along, evidently wanting not to be identified with the character in question, but evidently feeling the heavy atmosphere around them. One word to the wise: if you are born with Adam’s gender, read a lot and keep your mouth wide shut.