I was going to write a bunch of thoughts about why more women don't blog after reading this most excellent deflating by Iain Dale of Independent columnist Mary Dejevsky's ridiculous ideas on the subject, until it occured to me that I don't give a crap.
I have to note, to repeat after Dale, I find it incredibly amusing that a professional female editorialist would argue that more men blog because they're arrogant enough to believe other people want to read their opinions, whereas women are more timid and less confident. It kind of reminds me of the occassional e-mail or comment we get around here from random visitors completely ignorant of the entire concept of blogging who write "what makes you think anyone cares what you have to say about anything?" to which I generally respond "the same thing that made you think we care what YOU have to say."
I think what I resent the most about the original Independent article is the not-so-subtle suggestion that the reasons keeping women from blogging are somehow related to our supposed status as perpetual victims. Take this doozy:
How many homes are there - here, or in tech-savvy Finland - where the man will think it quite excusable to shuffle in late for dinner because he has been reading or writing his online diary, but would greet with ridicule or fury the prospect of dinner being late (or non-existent) because his partner had been delayed in the blogosphere?
I cannot seriously think of one woman who would tolerate dinner getting cold because her "partner" was indulging in any hobby, let alone one with as little return as a flipping blog. Besides, behavior like that is just rude and not in any way particulary masculine. Women are just as capable as men of keeping people waiting for selfish reasons.
To me, the question is as irrelevant as wondering why more men don't knit, sew, Tivo Oprah or try out for the cheerleading squad. It's not for lack of opportunity, just lack of interest. There's not a lot of mystery to it. I can't give reasons why a woman wouldn't want to blog, because I do, but I don't think being held back by the patriarchy or reservation of opinions have anything to do with it.
Posted by Emily at June 30, 2006 07:07 AM | TrackBack (0) |Years ago, I was told it's sexist and chauvinistic to call women "timid" and "less confidant". Was that rule rescinded?
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at June 30, 2006 07:15 AMIt depends on which feminist you're talking to, but I don't think Dejevsky was noting those traits as if they were admirable. We're timid and less confident because we are forced to be that way through oppressive education and upbringing. Excuse me while I loosen my corset to have a laugh at that one.
Posted by: Emily at June 30, 2006 07:22 AMThey let you go to school?!?
Posted by: Cullen at June 30, 2006 07:49 AMOf course. How else does a lady find a suitable husband?
Posted by: Emily at June 30, 2006 07:53 AMThat was an awesome smackdown.
90% of the bloggers I read are women - it seems to me there are plenty of 'em out there. I have no idea who has the time to go around keeping track of this, and counting up the genders of all the bloggers for some tally sheet. I cannot think of a more boring way to spend my time. (I love, too, how this conversation comes up, like clockwork, about once a year. heh heh)
What - we need quotas now? Blogging incentive programs? Government mandates?
Honestly. If it's a hobby you enjoy, then blog. If you don't enjoy it, then don't do it.
I love how he says "wow, 2 factual inaccuracies in the first sentence" - heh heh
Posted by: red at June 30, 2006 07:54 AMYeah, yeah. This has been fun and games. Now get in the kitchen and make me some pie, bitch.
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at June 30, 2006 07:58 AMWhere does this "scarcity of female bloggers" meme come from, anyway? Probably 60% of the bloggers I read are women.
Perhaps whoever is keeping the statistics counts only blogs of the politics-as-inside-baseball stripe.
Posted by: David Foster at June 30, 2006 07:58 AMYes, there definitely are a lot of women bloggers out there, but Dejevsky's beef seems to be that there aren't more that write about politics. Um, well, women don't tend to take an interest in politics as much as men do. We could speculate why to the end of the universe, but her ideas are just absurd. Women aren't opinionated? We're too timid to share our ideas? Huh? That's condescending nonsense.
Posted by: Emily at June 30, 2006 08:01 AMDavid F - I agree. It seems that people only look in one genre, if you will, and wring their hands in agony about the lack of chicks.
But if you move outside that insular little world - there's a whole WORLD. Come on out, people, you can do it!
I read sewing blogs, and acting blogs, and book blogs, and homeschool blogs and Catholic blogs ... most of 'em are women! I don't read them because they're women, obviously - but I like the topics, and I like how they write. Whatevs.
People who take this whole hobby thing too seriously always seem rather - ehm - silly to me.
"Oh no ... why aren't more Inuits blogging??? Are they feeling left out?"
Posted by: red at June 30, 2006 08:02 AMEmily - member when this whole topic came up last year, I think? Well, it seems to come up every year ... but someone said that women weren't comfortable with the "food fight" atmosphere of political blogging. We prefer to settle things more rationally, so we back out of the fray.
Seriously. That kind of talk reaaaaaallly pisses me off. Totally condescending.
Posted by: red at June 30, 2006 08:05 AMSheila,
Yeah, it's like people get in this rut where they read the top ten blogs or something and think they've run the gammit of the entire hobby of blogging.
There's only a "food fight" atmosphere in a handful of blogs, and I ignore those, not because my estrogen-fueled sensibilities can't handle it. I just don't like bickering and think blog wars are absolutely pathetic. I do this for fun, no other reason.
And people who take blogging seriously are kind of a joke to me, especially if they let their ego inflate if they become popular. Dude, being a famous blogger is like being a famous horticulturalist. Most people don't have the slightest idea who the fuck you are.
Posted by: Emily at June 30, 2006 08:13 AMIt's true, of course. Chicks can't write about politics.
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at June 30, 2006 08:14 AMApparently the modern conveniences of the kitchen of the future are allowing you more free time. Guess we'll have to come up with more chores.
Posted by: Cullen at June 30, 2006 08:15 AMNot at all, Ken.
Posted by: Cullen at June 30, 2006 08:16 AM[insert period comment from last time here]
Posted by: Lisa, Xenu's Concubine at June 30, 2006 08:18 AMAnd they certainly are timid and have no confidence.
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at June 30, 2006 08:23 AMNope, Ken, none at all.
Posted by: Cullen at June 30, 2006 08:25 AMYep, when push comes to shove, chicks get all timid and back out of the fray.
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at June 30, 2006 08:30 AMI rather wish that Mary Dejevsky was right about the timidity of women, because we would have been spared her dumb opinion.
NO, scratch that - her dumb opinion masquerading as Unalterable Truth.
Posted by: Nightfly at June 30, 2006 08:54 AM[Ali G]
So dya fink der will evva be like a woman prime minista?
[/Ali G]
Jeez, Mark. At least stay somewhere close to reality.
Like a woman could ever be a prime minister and fight wars and stuff [shakes head].
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at June 30, 2006 09:21 AMLe manuél ping.
Posted by: Even Covered in Mustard Bingley Couldn't Tempt the Most Desperate of New Orleans Cannibals to Try a Bite at June 30, 2006 10:20 AMI've got 107 bookmarks for "Chick-bloggers" alone, compared to about 184 in "Dude-bloggers."
The rest are scientifically broken down by other categories: Blogworld itself subs to: AfroBlogs, Asiaticus Blogs, AustrangeNZ Blogs, Bhahartia Bolggalnadu, Britannic Blogs, Californibloggia, Canuckasphere (alone has many chick-bloggers), EuroBlogiques, Ex-Patria, KrautenBloggen, Italo-LatinoBloggistas, and SandBlogs... Then there's EconoBloggistics, EduBloggers, Fashion Blogitique, Gun Blogs (surprising amount of chicks), Journo Blogs, Legal Blogs (Althouse anybody?), Lit Bloggers, Media Blogs (death to the #%@! NYT!) , MilBlogs & Strategistics, MusicBlogs ... too many damn blogs.
All in all a good representation of female bloggers throughout though, chicks are by no means un-represented.
Dirt,
I don't think female blogs are as lacking as a lot of women complain, but that certainly hasn't always been the case. When I first started doing this almost five years ago, I was very aware that I was entering a boys club of sorts. I'm glad that's changed, but even if it hadn't, it's not because there's any restriction or phantom glass ceiling keeping women from doing it.
Instapundit's a man!?! [vapors]
Posted by: Andrea Harris at July 1, 2006 03:58 PM