It is not just a stereotype – There is hard data that shows Men don’t read much fiction. But why is the genre not as attractive to men as it is to women, and what does that say about today’s gender norms?
Today on excitementElamin talks to Nathan Maharaj, Director of Content Marketing at Rakuten Kobo, and Pavan Sodhan, who reviews every non-fiction book he readsabout why men don’t pick up novels.
Below we have included some highlights, which we have condensed for length and clarity. The full discussion can be found at Listen and follow “Commotion” with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favorite podcast player.
WATCH | Today’s episode on YouTube:
Elamin: Nathan, when we talk about men reading fiction, they’re about as rare as a xylophone in a rock band. That just doesn’t happen, does it? You read fiction, but that’s part of your profession. I want to talk about how you would describe the gender gap when it comes to what men like to read.
Nathan: I don’t think it’s quite as rare as a xylophone… Let’s say a violin, maybe a tenor saxophone – you see it, but you think, “Oh, that’s nice to see. I don’t see something like that every day.”
Elamin: All right, got it.
Nathan: I think it has a lot to do with what people are looking for when they read. I think women generally turn to books for pleasure more than men. Not to find out what masculinity is, but the search for pleasure is a balancing act in masculinity. And so for men, books are generally not a place to go to have a good time and enjoy yourself – not when you could open a book to gain knowledge. And that can be anything from a better understanding of the real causes of immigration to “Where does my food come from?”
Elamin: How did the Roman Empire end? And so on.
Nathan: But it can also go to the other, toxic end of the spectrum, like, “How can I beat my liberal friend in an argument, assuming I still think liberals are worth arguing with.”
Elamin: That’s a bestseller if I ever heard one, Nathan.
Nathan: Absolutely. I’m working on the pitch.
Elamin: OK, Pavan, I want to talk about the fact that you read non-fiction, that you read more than 100 books a year… How did you get here?
Pavan: First of all, I am a Sikh Canadian, and the literal definition of “Sikh” means “one who is a student or disciple of truth and knowledge.” That is an aspect of my faith that I have really taken to heart. I want to be a learner. Second, in my professional life, I advise decision makers in the public sector or executives in the private sector, so it is crucial that I am informed and aware of the world around me, and reading books is the best way for me to do that.
And finally, and I think this is the most important aspect, the world today is so focused on short-form content, isn’t it? But we know that this leads to people getting sucked into what I call “bad thinking” and conspiracy theories, right? I want to live in a world with more intelligent people. That’s better for me. And by reviewing these books publicly, I can raise awareness of these great authors who are credible in their respective fields.
Elamin: I have to say, Nathan, what Pavan is circling here is, I think, a bigger obstacle when it comes to how you position fiction specifically for men. … Because you can position a nonfiction book to say, “This is the problem that this book solves in the world. If you care about this problem, get involved with this book.” You can’t do that with fiction. That’s not really what it’s meant for. So maybe you want to talk about the way fiction and nonfiction are marketed to women and men?
Nathan: Of course there are always exceptions, but the fact is that fiction has a hard time finding its readers, partly because it requires an emotional connection. But on a macro level, it is women who generate the most sales. It is an industry that lives off women’s purchasing decisions, and what worries me is… that the book industry is a bit like four-year-olds playing football – everyone chases the ball in the same way, and there is no one who could play other positions, who thinks about what other sport we could play, what fields might be open. That worries me, but at the same time I have to step back and see what might be the reason for that, and it has a lot to do with women in leadership positions.
The industry itself is driven by the work of women, so I don’t begrudge anyone putting out a product that they believe in. These are just sensible commercial decisions, and I’m fine with that, but I worry that this distortion turns books into “women’s stuff.” There’s something wonderful about just spending time processing something, whether it’s the emotional structure of a landscape in a novel, or trying to explain a social issue, or portray history in a certain light.
You can listen to the entire discussion from today’s show here: CBC Listen or in our podcast Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.
Panel produced by Jean Kim.
