29 Dec
Men vs Women
I wear a number of different hats in my life. One is that of a freelance writer. The other is of a cartoonist.
One thing I’ve noticed in my web-surfing is the disparity between the sexes in both of these fields. When it comes to the field of freelance writing I’ve noticed that the majority of the people are women. I’m basing this simply on the number of blogs I read, Writer’s Digest magazine and the writing forums I participate in.
And when it comes to cartooning, the profession seems to be dominated by men.
So I’m wondering why there isn’t a greater degree of equal representation by both sexes when it comes to what could be classified as creative fields?
I don’t have an answer or even a vague theory. Do you?
Posted
on
Saturday, December 29th, 2007 at 7:46 pm under
Are you kidding? I’ve found the complete opposite to be true. Most of the copywriters are men. NO, wait, let me clarify. The copywriting BIG GUNS are MEN. Why? Because men think big and their loyalty is HUGE compared to women, aka “The Good Ol’ Boys Club” mentality.
Men are going to think about the business of copywriting as just that - BUSINESS. They’re going to go after the big gigs and the big money and they’re going to protect the big opportunities for their buddies. At least this is how I see it as the outsider looking in. They’re also going to take bigger and more risks than women do. Again… just an observation.
Men know how to talk the big game, too. They can sit there and tell you that they have some rare, coveted talent of choosing the perfect words that make people whip out their credit cards. This is a pile of malarky. The reason why their sales pages are pulling in more money is because they get copywriting gigs for people who are already well-established in their fields. This is a result of strategic networking and tireless self-promotion. Successful people cultivating a name for themselves among successful people.
If you’ve found yourself surrounded by females in the copywriting industry, then I would venture a guess that they’re NOT making a lot of money. Or they’re making decent money but they’re not pulling six figures or anything. It’s a guess, I could be wrong, I have been on a very rare occasion.
December 30th, 2007 at 9:45 amI agree that the ‘Big Guns’ all seem to be men, but from what I can tell, as an industry, writing/copywriting seems to be dominated by women. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just an observation. As far as pulling in six figures goes, I don’t necessarily view that as a measure of success. Making a decent living in your chosen profession - to me anyway - is a better barometer.
I can think of several women writers off the top of my head who seem to be doing quite well with their writing.
Still, it’s interesting.
December 30th, 2007 at 12:41 pmI think the difference is that men are out there doing their job and women like to spend time helping others and exchanging information on message boards and forums. I say this not to disparage either gender, but I think men in general have a more “lone wolf/provider” attitude and won’t take the time to swap tips or just chat online as much.
I’ve found that when I post an online request for sources (often on topics that are gender neutral like grad school or online banking), I almost always hear from twice as many women. Now, I KNOW there are men using online banking and applying to grad school, but they just don’t take the time to email when I need sources. Well, that’s my two cents… I know several very successful freelance male writers.
January 5th, 2008 at 4:10 pmPretty insightful Susan, thanks.
January 5th, 2008 at 4:19 pm