# SF/F - Male or Female?



## Incognito (Nov 7, 2003)

Certainly until recently, I had it in my head that science fiction and fantasy was an overwhelmingly male pursuit.

Maybe it still is to some degree.

But I've been constantly surprised at how prevalent women are on various SF/F sites.

Is this a case of men simply hogging all the attention; or women being a loud minority; or is there a far less delineated demarcation of interest between the genders?

Is science fiction and fantasy really just a specifically male interest with a little female representation? 

Whether you disagree or agree, how do you think that relates in terms of audience representation by books compared to movies?

General discussion topic.


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## Gnome (Nov 7, 2003)

Incognito said:
			
		

> Certainly until recently, I had it in my head that science fiction and fantasy was an overwhelmingly male pursuit.
> 
> Maybe it still is to some degree.
> 
> ...


I think it comes down to the fact that woman are more prone to talk about their interests than men (and are more likely to share their opinions).


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## AVON (Nov 7, 2003)

Interesting question.  Probably the vast majority of the general public would think that SF is mainly a *male-orientated* rather than a *female-orientated* thing.  Guess, it depends on the subject being "*SCIENCE FICTION*" (Science is traditionally supposed to be a male subject!!!)

Think the gender depends to some extent on what it actually is!  eg. type of show, film, character.  Obviously, certain shows attract more males or, vise versa!  SF conventions - most tend to have quite a large population of females (especially, "B7" or, "ST" ones - "DW" probably slightly more males for those conventions)!

As, for books, then it's probably the same,as folks who like certian tv/films and who also read "SF" tend to go for the same sort of things in book form. I know, I do.  

I think its been long perceived that if, you are a Science Fiction fan (Anorak) you are generally of the*male* gender and *mad*. So, to be a *Female* Fan that's probably even worse!  Well, I'm a {b]FEMALE SCIENCE FICTION FAN[/b] and very *PROUD* to be so!


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## littlemissattitude (Nov 7, 2003)

Well, I've been a science fiction fan approximately since birth 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




, but that has to do with upbringing.  We had a family tradition when I was small of going to the drive-in (that's back when they had them all over the place) every Friday night, and because my Dad was a huge science fiction fan, more often than not, if there was a science fiction film showing that was what we saw.  So I got exposed early (goodness, makes it sound like a disease, doesn't it?).  And then, by the time I was about 9 or 10 years old, Dad started handing me science fiction novels to read.  So, I guess I had no choice in the matter, contrary to a lot of people, who come to it by discovery on their own, sometimes as a matter of rebellion.

Anyway, for ages and ages, I didn't know many other science fiction fans at all, and those I did know were male.  Anyway, the females I knew weren't admitting to anything.  I think that had (and has, for that matter) a lot to do with the general perception of science fiction fans as nerds, geeks, (insert your own unflattering name of choice).  It was only when I hit college that I ran into other women who admitted to reading and watching science fiction.  I think the other female fans were always out there.  It just wasn't socially acceptable for women to admit to it.  (I was secure enough or stupid enough not to care that people knew I read it.)  Had a lot to do with the perception that men don't like smart women...while science fiction readers in general were seen as nerds, they were seen as _smart_ nerds.

As far as how it is now...I think there are probably still more male than female readers of science fiction, due mostly to the fact that it is perceived as being so science/technology oriented.  And I think a lot of women who do read science fiction (at least among the ones I know) came to science fiction through fantasy, which is perceived by many being as more female-oriented.  But I think the ratio of males to females is becoming more even.

And, of course, this is based solely on my personal experiences, and I could be entirely wrong.


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## dwndrgn (Nov 7, 2003)

I'm not sure about fans, that's hard to tell.  I don't get out much 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




.  However, if you look at female authors vs male authors, you see a larger percentage of male science fiction authors.  In fantasy, at least in the last 10 years or so, I've seen more new female authors than new male ones so it seems that fantasy is coming to have a more balanced combination of the two.

I don't know why that is.  I'm not a huge science fiction fan, I do like quite a lot of it but I prefer it on screen.  For some reason science fiction _novels_ tend to bore me (that of course is just a personal distinction) and it isn't because I don't like science itself.  I think it is mostly because the authors spend a great deal of time and effort examining and exploring the physical props of the story instead of the story itself.  In fantasy, they don't do a whole lot of that, maybe they are more skewed to landscapes and worldbuilding but that doesn't bore me like a description of a spaceship and all its components would. 

Science (and math too) has been seen as a male pursuit but that never stopped me from becoming entranced by the Mandelbrot set or fiddling with microscopes and petri dishes.  I think that is slowing changing though.  I just heard recently that there are now a larger percentage of female applicants to medical school than males.


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## jerchar (Nov 10, 2003)

I think that one of the greatest female fantasy author who has just found the best mix for fantasy and sci-fi is definitely Ann McCaffrey. But I have to admit that I don't read much sci-fi, I am one of those fantasy hooked readers. I can simply say that sci-fi doesn't make me dream as much as fantasy. I agree with Lil'Miss when I assure you that a female fantasy reader who is my age (over 30) is looked upon as a very bizarre person. It's a wonder that people don't shake their heads when they know what I read (well I am sure they do shake their heads once I am out of sight). I must say that this does not bother me at all and I am all too proud to talk about fantasy when the subject comes up.


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## kyektulu (Nov 4, 2005)

*It most proberbly was a male dominated persuit in the past but I think the interest is most definetly equal now.
Most of the fantasy fans I have met in person are female, although sci fi friends are mainly male. 
*


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## nixie (Nov 4, 2005)

I think there is as many woman read scifi and fantasy as men....Certain authors will appeal more to women than men and vice versa,


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## chrispenycate (Nov 5, 2005)

In my youth (he creaks) there were almost no female authors of scince fiction (and many of those wrote under male pen names) Understandable- females were steered away from a science education, from any career in science as -I don't know- not feminine? When I went to university, a scientific college, less tha five percent of the students were of the feminine persuasion. These days are past, and, while there's still an imbalance, more ladies are getting scientifically educated, and more are writing science fiction (and owning up to it- what's that phrase?- there's nothing *wrong* with writing, but do it in private, and wash your hands afterwards) and the world can only be better for it. Fantasy they've been writing (and presumably reading) for ages, even if, there too, there were many hiding behind masculine pseudonyms who have come out of the closet.


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## Elenilsa (Nov 5, 2005)

I'm most definitely female and most definitely a fan of sci-fi since I began to read, really  as well as a fan of fairy tales, legends, and myths.......although I hadn't discovered the fantasy genre until the LOTR films clued me into Tolkien.

I guess I just like a good story with comple characters, and I haven't found any more complex and intriguing in "mainstream" literature than I have in sci-fi/fantasy.


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## Rosemary (Nov 6, 2005)

I do read both Fantasy and Science Fiction, although I much prefer the Fantasy books.

There are certain authors from both genres who usually have a very good storyline and these are the ones I will read.  

Some things have not changed at all and that is the fact that an older woman is viewed as being rather 'strange' when she admits to reading F & SF.  I do not in the least bit feel 'strange' for not reading the 'romances' of Barbara Cartland or Mills and Boon romantic novels.


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## SummerStorms (Nov 8, 2005)

Well, I'm female and in my early 40's, and have been a fan of science fiction since I was three years old. My dad was a big SF fan and introduced me to Star Trek when it was in first run on American television. From there my fate was sealed.  I was reading SF novels and pulp anthologies before I was out of elementary school (so probably by the time I was 8 or 9, definitely before I was 10) and whenever we had to write a short story for school, I'd opt for something with at least overtones of SF. My teachers were amused, I do know that. Well, here I am over 30 years later, still writing SF. Haven't been published yet, but one of these days....

I actually didn't get much into fantasy until I was about 13 or so, and while I will read it and have even attempted to write it (and still might do so again), I'm more of an SF person.


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## Dean (Jan 19, 2006)

Am male, but the most recent that really grabbed me had a female lead, RimRunners, CJ Cherryh. I suppose it depends on what really seems to work, as a youth I was enthusiastic about the generally female parts portrayed in Asimovs type of fiction, particularly the Robotics genre. But there are places where scifi can use a male hero to allow a reader to experience gender to an extent not generally allowed by societal norms.


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## edott (Jan 19, 2006)

I would think that except the local science fiction club is dominated by women.


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## hermi-nomi (Jan 19, 2006)

As a relatively new SFF reader (past 10 years or so) I haven't really noticed the delination between fe/male SFF authors and was suprised that JK Rowling was pushed into using her initials to sell her work rather than her name. Over the past couple of years I have undoubtably read more female authors than male. But then, I read more fantasy than I read sci-fi. Perhaps that is where the divide lies? But I doubt it, I think I only see that divide  'cos I mostly read fantasy.  
I think that there is more of a mergance of genres in SFF these days, especially in TV and film ... Serenity is a great reference point for this observation. And I guess this mergance is also spreading into SFF novels ~ say Johnathan Strange and Mr Norrel for example(?)

Definition of SFF fandom? Geeky. I like being a geek. But not a nerd ... nerds are those clever sods who understand all about computers ~ and not just how to tickle the keyboards. Right?


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## Gwydion (Jan 19, 2006)

i think it is still fairly male dominated, but females are becoming more popular writers. J.K.Rowling for example is the most popular female fantasy writer of the past decade, but men like O.S.Card, C.Paolini, and R.Jordan have a stranglehold on the fantasy genre.


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## Omega (Jan 19, 2006)

I'm male the last time I checked.


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## Gwydion (Jan 22, 2006)

me too.


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## SukiTrek (Jan 22, 2006)

I'm female and love sci-fi but I'll admit most people I know that are into science fiction are male.


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## steve12553 (Feb 23, 2006)

I've spent some time recently looking into SFF boards just to try to find a place or places that I'm comfortable. I've seen a couple that are male dominated and spend a lot of time  worrying about technical aspects of oh, say, the engineering section of the Enterprise D. Other boards that are less male dominated or female dominated spend more time (or at least more threads) on characters and concepts. Society changes (good or bad) over time. Peoples reading and viewing habits change over time. In my half a century I've seen gender attitudes (both to and from) change a lot. I suspect the female gender is more open about what the like now and more free (mentally) to pursue it. Women and men are different, (Did he really say that? Call the PC police) but they're not entirely different species. A woman may enjoy shopping more than her spouse or partner and still appreceate a good stimulating Science Fiction concept while her male conterpart may not. I dn't think we're as narrow minded as a culture as we once were and isn't that what good Science Fiction is all about? Broadening our horizons (there is a very tacky pun in there but it definitely was not intentional), Boldly going where not one has gone before?


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## Caretaker66 (Feb 23, 2006)

Apparently, the science fiction/fantasy world is presently dominated by men. However, it seems that the scale is tipping...


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## Teresa Edgerton (Feb 23, 2006)

I've been reading SF and Fantasy for more than thirty years, and during that time I've known as many females who read and write in the genre as males, but then the places I've gone to meet people and socialize have been those that would attract SF and Fantasy readers period -- for the occasional reader, or for the reader who only reads books by a handful of authors, or for people whose main exposure to the genre is through movies or gaming, I think there are more men than women, but the hardcore fans are pretty evenly divided in terms of gender. 

But within the genre, there was a time, 10-15 years ago, when there was a perception that SF was of particular interest to men while Fantasy attracted more women.  Even so, the top Fantasy writers were all men.  An editor told me at the time that this was because women had no problem reading books by men, but a lot of male readers avoided anything with a woman's name on the cover.  (Most of the editors working for the SF and Fantasy imprints were women, however.)

It's quite different now, with more men reading Fantasy than SF and very little prejudice (if any at all) against women writers.  Still, I have to laugh when people express surprise that women like Fantasy.


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## Teir (Feb 24, 2006)

Well I am female and have only ever really read fantasy, with exception of course - i love reading in general :> - but if i took a look at every book Ive ever read in my entire life (and i wouldn't want that job lol) i guess at *least* 80% would be fantasy novels. In my own experience, as far as readers go, female interest is equal to that of male, if not more. As far as authors go...well, pretty much most of the books Ive read were written or co-written by female writers (i just ran to my book shelf to see), but the gap between numbers isn't very large. In my own opinion sf/f gives off the impression of a male pursuit because of the content of the books, but in reality it is an all encompassing pastime 

In the end, when I pick up a new book to try out, I dont even take the gender of the author into consideration. Its the STORY I look for


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## Sibeling (Feb 26, 2006)

I never actually paid attention to whether the author is male or female, but once I happened to read a sci-fi novel by a female writer, who wrote that some alien species lived on a star (I forgot which star, but the actual name was mentioned), and later went somewhere else and had adventures with some people.
But stars are huge balls of really hot fire, aren't they? So how can some creature live on a star and still feel comfortable in an Earth-type environment? I thought that there is no way this could happen so I regard female writers of sci-fi rather sceptically - who knows whether they really know a thing about science?


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## steve12553 (Feb 26, 2006)

Sibeling said:
			
		

> But stars are huge balls of really hot fire, aren't they? So how can some creature live on a star and still feel comfortable in an Earth-type environment? I thought that there is no way this could happen so I regard female writers of sci-fi rather sceptically - who knows whether they really know a thing about science?


 
I suspect you ought to think this one out a little more. Wouldn't it be better to question this particular author's ability to create "suspension of disbelief" rather than indict 50% (+/- 7) of the worlds population for lack of writing ability? I have read some pretty far fetched male-written science fiction, too. I am an electrical engineer and the smartest person that I've ever worked along side was a female engineer. I really suspect you just found a less than wonderful book. Besides, with pen names, unless you know the author you may not really know the gender.


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## chrispenycate (Feb 26, 2006)

As one who reaps vast enjoyment from ferreting out technical errors (got critcised for it) I'd say that the femaleauthor *meant* that her protaginist came from a planet of that star and was insufficiently precise.

Still, large numbers of science fiction novels written by all sexes contain technical errors - I think they do it to sell to people like me.

The only difference I've noticed between male and female sci-fi writing is a slight tendency for the women to concentrate more on the psycological and sociological factors, compared to the more "hard sciences" biased males. Still, there are plenty of contrary examples, and I put it down to a hangover from the fact that, until the sixties, females were not expected to take scientific education, to go for a scientific career. Thus, as my generation curls up and dies, even this slight segregation will disappear.


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## kyektulu (Feb 26, 2006)

Caretaker66 said:
			
		

> Apparently, the science fiction/fantasy world is presently dominated by men. However, it seems that the scale is tipping...



*I most definetly agree that the sci fi world used to be dominated by men but now more and more women are getting onto it.

However I believe that more women these days are reading fantasy fiction, well that is the way it seems to me anyway as  generally I am surrounded by women in the fantasy section at my local book shop.


I wish there was some kind of local fantasy readers convention near me...
*


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## Sibeling (Feb 27, 2006)

steve12553 said:
			
		

> I suspect you ought to think this one out a little more. Wouldn't it be better to question this particular author's ability to create "suspension of disbelief" rather than indict 50% (+/- 7) of the worlds population for lack of writing ability? I have read some pretty far fetched male-written science fiction, too. I am an electrical engineer and the smartest person that I've ever worked along side was a female engineer. I really suspect you just found a less than wonderful book. Besides, with pen names, unless you know the author you may not really know the gender.


 
I know that the author was a woman, but you are probably right - I should not make hasty judgements about sci-fi written by women just because one of such books was not too convincing.


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## jackokent (Feb 27, 2006)

It feels like many of the newer writers are women.  I am not sure I'd be always be able to tell the author's sex from reading a book and I wouldn't care anyway.  Incidentally I had no idea a star was a "huge ball of really hot fire", so I maybe aught to stay clear of writing Si Fi.

Male or female Si Fi and Fantasy seems to suffer from a credibility problem with the wider public.  People who proffess to loving Tolken and Harry Potter still seem to treat you like some kind of nutter if you say you like the genre.  My local reading group won't countenance doing it as they say they prefer "serious" literature.  Very sad.


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## steve12553 (Feb 27, 2006)

Remind them that any novel or short story is bending reality. Science fiction and fantasy just make sure there is no extra, unused tensil strength left when their done. It's also designed to make you think and broaden your horizon.


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## littlemissattitude (Feb 27, 2006)

Yeah, well, steve, there are some people who believe that thinking and broadening one's horizons are sins.  And no, I'm not speaking figuratively.  I know people like that.  They frighten me a lot.


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## steve12553 (Feb 28, 2006)

littlemissattitude said:
			
		

> Yeah, well, steve, there are some people who believe that thinking and broadening one's horizons are sins. And no, I'm not speaking figuratively. I know people like that. They frighten me a lot.


 
Absolutely! Just keep your light sabre handy, your phaser on stun and your mind open.


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## Sibeling (Feb 28, 2006)

jackokent said:
			
		

> Incidentally I had no idea a star was a "huge ball of really hot fire", so I maybe aught to stay clear of writing Si Fi.


 
You mean that it isn't? A person who knows a lot about astronomy told me that valuable piece of information, and I didn't really bother to check what the stars are made of. Probably some kind of gas and some hard bits, not exactly fire, but big and hot anyway. 

Yeah, I certainly should not write sci-fi, or at least should investigate things before making an attempt..


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## chrispenycate (Feb 28, 2006)

Actually, it consitsof plasma, the "fourth state of matter" where nuclei and electrons are dissociated, no solid od liquid state, not even any gas as we know it; in fact "giant ball of fire" describes it very well. Unless, of course, it's a neutron star     I've no idea what state of matter to class neutronium under.


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## Carolyn Hill (Apr 13, 2006)

I'm a woman, I've been reading science fiction and fantasy for approximately forty years, and at this point in my life, I read far more science fiction and fantasy than anything else.  I enjoy both genres, but I prefer science fiction, and I have always preferred science fiction.  

My mother, who is just turning eighty years old, dislikes fantasy but reads science fiction.  She started reading science fiction about the same time I did (in the 1960s).

Of the published and unpublished writers whom I know personally, most are women, and most write fantasy.  When I write novels, I write science fiction, but when I write short stories, I usually write fantasy.  (I'm unpublished, so feel free to discount me as a statistic.)

When I first started reading SFF, I didn't pay any attention to whether the author's name implied a particular gender, but I did feel discouraged because few of the protaganists in science fiction were female.

The lack of female protagonists affected the stories I told myself. Because the protagonists in the published stories were usually male, the stories I told myself always had a male protagonist.  And because I always liked to imagine myself as being the protagonist of my own stories, I ended up in the somewhat peculiar position of imagining myself as male.  (Not as if I had or wanted to have a sex change:  I'm not saying that the stories promoted gender-confusion.  I'm talking about my writerly imagination, here.)  I felt as if women weren't allowed to do exciting, brave, protagonistic things in books (or, for that matter, in the real world).

Sure, there was Heinlein's Podkayne.  And there was the wonderful adolescent female protagonist in Tiptree's "The Only Neat Thing to Do" (speaking of women who wrote under male pseudonyms).  But the sheer numbers of male protagonists outweighted the few females, and, like Le Guin, I wanted to see Mrs. Brown in science fiction.

Perhaps fantasy at that time had a larger number of female protagonists?  Strangely, none of them spring to my mind now, except Dorothy and Ozma (hmm, but Ozma was also Tip and, thus, somewhat gender-malleable).  If there were, indeed, more strong/interesting female protagonists in fantasy at that time, that might be why some women at that time read more fantasy . . . if women did read more fantasy . . . than science fiction.

In any case, nowadays there are far greater numbers of female protagonists in science fiction than there used to be, and far more women writing science fiction.  I remember when I first noticed that there were more than a handful of women SF writers and more than a few female protagonists; for several years thereafter, I wasn't interested in reading a book by or about a male. 

But I'm all better now.  And the protagonists in my own novels and short stories are invariably female.


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## Frozeninja (Apr 20, 2006)

To be honest, i'm the only person I know who reads SF/F, now considering i'm 17 and live at the edge of nowhere, this may not be all that unusual, I really don't know. It doesn't really matter to me whether the book i'm reading is written by a male or female author, infact the issue rarely ever crosses my mind.
I used to have the idea that SF/F was a male dominated genre, but when I look around forums such as this one I quite often find the number of females on the website is almost, if not equal. Haven't been in the genre for long so I can't talk about past times, but these days it seems as though it's a fairly equal following.


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## An8el (Apr 20, 2006)

Gender roles are an interesting question on any subject. Many people assume that divisions of gender "have already changed." That's got to be true in some micro-cultures, but watch a group of muli-gendered people talk... Now, why are all the guys talking and all the women listening except for one or two? A good author about the cultural assumptions about genders is linguistics prof, Deborah Tannen. If you're a woman under thirty who would like to get out from under gender limitations, these books will blow your mind!
 
My first Scifi book was "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Heinlein when it came out in the late sixties when I was 14. It totally opened up my thinking about cultural attitudes around possession and jealousy, something Heinlein would probably be proud of doing. 
Later in my late twenties when I finally had some time to read, I dove into Scifi head first and found Sturgeon, A.E Van Vogt and other unbelievable thinkers. I kept going because the alternate worlds in scifi made me think differently of the worlds I observed around myself. Since my criteria was "interesting worlds," I didn't really care if the scifi author was male or female. Scifi used to be "idea" driven and characterization was often ignored by the scifi authors, so that's why those designations were generally regarded as being desireable to men in the past. Now that women such as Ursela Le Guin have led the pack on using characterization to drive their scifi stories, the whole genre has opened up. IMHO the writing has gotten much better because it integrates more enjoyable and sophisticated factors - blurring the lines between classic fantasy and classic scifi.

It would be interesting to read if the scifi mags (Asimov SciFi & Analog Scifi & Fantasy in the USA) have compiled a market research about their subscribers and how the gender balance has changed over the years. I'll bet that info exists somewhere.


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## Becca (Apr 29, 2006)

I would say more men than women are interested in science fiction, but that difference is getting less and less.  But i think as far as fantasy goes it's probably about an equal split.


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## alicebandassassin (Apr 29, 2006)

I think as men and womens plases in sociaty change so  there personalitys have more oppertunties to show so men who have always been open to dream still do but women who have only just found the openes and time to are now spreading there wings so stand back or youll get knocked flat.But seariously i think this is all good for everyone as we all bring somthing new to the party


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## purple_kathryn (Apr 29, 2006)

I think it's seen as a male dominated arena partly because a lot of girls/women face ridicule if they admit to liking science fiction.  I remember going to buy an audio version of a star trek book a few years ago and being told by the sales assistant to get a life.  I know that at work I don't really bring it up unless someone notices the book I'm reading or it's part of the conversation.

There are probably a lot more of us (women sci-fi/f fans) that you realise we just don't speak up about it!

My best friend BTW is also into  sci-fi/Fan - although not quite as much as me.


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## alicebandassassin (Apr 29, 2006)

I think i must be thick skined as i have never let others deside what i should or should not like and its never mutch dothered me how they feel as long as it makes me happy.


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## CarlottaVonUberwald (May 1, 2006)

i have really never encountered this apparent difference in the number or open-ness of male and femal sci-fi fans.... i don;t know why because from what you guys have said its obvious, i have never encountered any comments about liking sci-fi except discussion form like minded individuals.


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## Denie Alconn (May 1, 2006)

When I went to school I was the only girl that played rpg together with a coupple of class mates.
On cons I felt very much like the only girl around, though it must have been around 5 more and at least 100 guys but I was in a fixed group of girls that played Vampire, it was absolutely hillarious!!!!


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## alicebandassassin (May 2, 2006)

i found as a child most other childrens imaginations could not keep up with mine so i lent toward book that gave my mind scope to work with


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## Kettricken (May 19, 2006)

purple_kathryn said:
			
		

> I think it's seen as a male dominated arena partly because a lot of girls/women face ridicule if they admit to liking science fiction. I remember going to buy an audio version of a star trek book a few years ago and being told by the sales assistant to get a life.


I've never had it said to me, but sometimes I see the look in the eyes of the librarians... or when I tell people I like Star Trek...
Actually, I've heard a few friends (girls) say to me that they would like to try SF, but don't dare to buy it... or, some say: 'oh, that's for guys'. The latter group usually have never read/watched any SF/fantasy and it's hard to explain to them there's a lot of variation in this field and there are a lot of books that appeal to women. 

I'm a woman and like SFF. Mostly, I read fantasy but I would like to read more science fiction. In a way, having read previous posts, I'm a typical women in the way that I like good characterization in a book, in Star Trek I like the social/moral dillemma's. It's not that I don't like the science: I used to talk for hours with my dad (science teacher) about time travelling, alien life, travelling faster than light speed. Also, I was quite good at physics, math, and other science courses.
But in a story, I usually like the psychology/morality better than the details of the science itself. For the latter, I watch documentaries, search the internet or read science books.
Of course, in science fiction are differences. For example, I like stories in which the author takes a science concept that creates dilemma's for the characters. On the other hand, I'm not that keen on stories that only try to make a show of all the little detailed science-facts the author knows and puts this science before the inner drive of the characters. In my experience, this latter kind of books is better liked by men.

As for fantasy, I've been to a big con in the Netherlands a few times (the 'Elf fantasy fair') and there was a good balance in women/men. Maybe there were even more women...


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## Carolyn Hill (May 19, 2006)

Kettricken said:
			
		

> I like stories in which the author takes a science concept that creates dilemma's for the characters. On the other hand, I'm not that keen on stories that only try to make a show of all the little detailed science-facts the author knows and puts this science before the inner drive of the characters.



Me, too.  You've said it well.


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## apokalypsis (Jan 1, 2007)

According to an October 2005 article in Telegraph.co.uk, 51% of the viewers for the Sci Fi UK channel were female at that time. 

General publishing statistics show that romances make up over 54% of popular paperback fiction sold. (Bykovsky and Sander _The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published_) Tho' I'm afraid of invoking stereotypes, I don't think it's farfetched to say that more women than men read romances, which (combined with the previous stat) may imply that more women are reading fiction, period. Thus, why shouldn't that apply to SF&F as well as everything else?

I'm a male SF&F fan and writer, and I prefer the character and conceptual stories far more than the 'gadgety' stuff. And the novel I'm rewriting has a female protagonist. That appears to be a good thing, given the number of female SF fans who are out there.


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## j d worthington (Jan 1, 2007)

I believe that the latest statistics show that that's the case: women are much heavier readers than men, overall, and certain when it comes to fiction; so it's not surprising that their interest in sf/f has been growing over the years (yes, it once was a largely male-dominated field; it's nice to see it more balanced these days).

As for the "gadget"-vs.-"character-driven" stories... each has their place, I think, and I can enjoy either one, if well done ... but I think that (again, generally speaking) those that are concerned with the human element -- even within the "gadget" field -- tend to be better works of fiction and more memorable. This is not to say that you can't have a heavy concentration on the physical sciences, merely that in some fashion it needs to relate to enable a reader to have an emotional connection to the effects of the science involved, whether on the society as a whole, or on individual characters.


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## The Ace (Jan 1, 2007)

"The University Science Fiction/Fantasy society, of which I was a member had a small male majority, I was surprised at the number of female members, although some had questionable taste in their choice of matireal (They'd probably say the same about me )."


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## dsmith (Jan 1, 2007)

As a children's librarian, I have a lot more boys asking for science fiction and fantasy than girls. And I am the only children's librarian at my branch that reads a lot of scifi and fantasy, so they always send anyone with those type questions to me. However, certain books get read equally, especially the Harry Potter books.


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## manephelien (Jan 2, 2007)

I was introduced to science-fiction by my father as soon as I could read, and have been hooked on it for over 25 years.

I tend to prefer character-driven stuff these days, but I did raid my dad's sf shelf and grew up reading Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke and van Vogt, as well as Tiptree and le Guin. I only truly discovered fantasy in my late twenties. Some of the best sf authors are brilliant at combining credible characterization with a good knowledge of science, Greg Bear springs to mind.

If any sales assistant ever dared to tell me to "get a life" because of my reading choices, I'd complain to the manager to get him/her fired.


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## bruno-1012 (Jan 4, 2007)

Like a number of people on here I have been reading books for over 35 years and SF became my main choice about 30 years ago (Where has the time gone???)

I did notice a lack of female readers at that time, mainly due to the presence (or lack of) in bookstores at the time....or at least when I was there.

I also work in Engineering and when I started studying the course was very male dominated with only 2 women in the class and one dropped out after  a term.

Fortunately the position has noticably changed in both work and reading environments.  I see the number of women that are browsing the SF/F bookstores these days (sometimes with a bored bloke following which always makes me smile).

I can't say that I really noticed any major shift that caused this or when it occured -  its just good that there are a lot of book readers out there.  Especially if they support the smaller stores that are willing to get what would be non-commercial titles in.


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## Nesacat (Jan 4, 2007)

I've been reading Science Fiction & Fantasy forever and a day. Most of the people I know who read this genre of books are women. In fact I only know one man (here in Malaysia at least) who reads these books. 

Growing up I was pretty much the only one who read them and mosr bookstores didn't even have any aside from the comic books. I was fortunate in having a family who encouraged the reading habit and brought books for me whenever they travelled. 

The situation has been steadily improving and ever since they started making Science Fiction & Fantasy movies in a big way all the bookstores have jumped on the latest cash cow and now have proper sections devoted to the genre. However, there always seem to be more women browsing and buying books from this section although there are much, much more men and very few women to be found in the comics & graphics novel section.


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## Curt Chiarelli (Jan 4, 2007)

Based upon personal observation over the years, it always seemed to me that the SF/Fantasy/Horror genre was and still is mostly male-dominated. Although I'm grateful to see more women at the conventions, they still seem to be a minority. 

Excluding the fleeting influence of the _Star Wars_ fad that erupted on the scene when I was 11 years old, as a child it was very difficult for me to find_ anyone_ who shared the same interests and if that could be even partially achieved then the people were unequivocably male. I was raised in an extremely conservative, working class background, so I'm certain that this strong hostilty toward the genre had much to do with this socio-economic demographic. It was frowned upon for boy to like the stuff (or - horror of horrors! - to have creative talent), but for girls - this was completely out of the question. 

I cannot begin to impress upon the reader how many times I had seen girls actively discouraged from reading or other more creative pursuits by their families and "friends". They were told they would never find a boyfriend or husband. (Considering the quality of their potential mates in the dating pool, spinsterhood held far cheerier, more salutory prospects for them.) One childhood girlfriend I held in the highest esteem simply by token of the fact that she was a fellow Godzilla and dinosaur nut! However, her parents put the kabosh on that friendship very quickly. I was considered "a bad influence" who kept reinforcing this type of disturbing, unfeminine behaviour in their child.

After I came of age one of the easiest ways to alienate potential dates was to tell them I was into the genre. Kind of like blithely telling people at a party that your hobby was collecting Adolph Hitler memorabilia, John Wayne Gacy action figures or mold spores (trust me, there _is_ a connection here folks). Their reactions were, to put it mildly, chilly.    

Discounting the stifling environment we grew up in, I always assumed (based upon observation) that most girls were just constitutionally indisposed to like the stuff. If only the members here could only have witnessed the reactions I received when I'd try to interest my female classmates in Tolkien or Verne or Wells or Bradbury. They invariably looked at me as if a tentacle had just grown out of my chest. (And if you think that reaction was rude, you should have heard their comments after seeing my sketchbook!) I suppose that they weren't accustomed to a guy trying to ravish their minds instead of their bodies, but still . . . .


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## Dr. Atomic (Jan 5, 2007)

Not that I did a real poll or anything, but at last summer's World Con, the split between male and female _looked_ about even. Lots of couples, many families, too -- and the kids, boys and girls, all seemed equally at home.

Don't know how to interpret this -- or maybe I'm just too tired to try -- but it seems like a good thing.

On the other hand... there seemed to be many more male writers on all the panels. Hopefully, many of the women attending the convention as fans will also try their hands at writing. I see no reason at all for there to be a discrepency among the sexes -- there's nothing inherently male about sf, as far as I can tell...


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## SciFiFan111 (Jan 5, 2007)

Hey I'm a girl and I'm a huge SciFi fan--Well, my member name sorta gives that away, lol.

I'm trying to get people to come to my forum and talk SciFi!  So come on over! All of you!


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## The DeadMan (Jan 6, 2007)

I don't know that many female Sci-Fi fans personally, but when I go to conventions there are always as many female attendants as there are male.


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## Kitera (Jan 6, 2007)

I have been a SFF fan since I was able to read. I have never thought SFF to be more towards the male side though; it just never occured to me. As for male authors, most top SFF male authors are known, but nowadays we see rising SFF female authors as well.


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## Epic Universe (Jan 7, 2007)

I've found that the split between male and female is relatively small in terms of a fanbase. I would give about a 65/35 edge to the male gender, but there are definitely a considerable amount of female readers. Nonetheless, I've found that most people consider SF/F a male-dominated genre.


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## Hawkshaw_245 (Jan 10, 2007)

I'm male, but enjoy both genders in SF/Fantasy.
It really depends on the author and story, as to which I prefer.  

I recall a SF book which was highly-rated, but I put it down angrily after 200 pages. The female author (whom I won't bash here) had written a war story, but taken the Oprah Winfrey approach to telling the story.

200 pages out 400+ were flushed down the toilet on the meandering introspections of the protagonist, instead of propelling the story forward.
Egads! Such melodrama could have been wrapped up in 30 pages, and the story would have flowed much better.


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## Junomidge (Jan 15, 2007)

I am a female interested in both Sci-Fi/Fantasy and computer gaming. I dated a computer programmer who worked at Sony Online and accompanied him to a number of conventions on computer gaming. The overwhelming majority of participants and targets for merchandising are male. Every top name booth had scantily clad women dancing, handing out swag etc. etc. 

I have also seen pictures from Sci-Fi literature conferences and these as well are most peopled by men.


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