At the Independent, women's voices are as loud as men's.
The annual count by women’s lit organization VIDA may confirm that the book-review world is still a boys’ club, but we here at the Independent are proud not to be members.
Of the 311 book reviews we published in 2013, 162 (52%) were written by men, while 149 (48%) were written by women. Is it a perfect 50-50 split? No. Is it vastly more balanced than, say, the New York Review of Books’ 212 male reviewers and 52 female, or the Atlantic’s 14 male reviewers and three female?
Yep.
Although we can’t wait to get to a point where gender isn’t an issue — good writing is good writing — in the meantime, our predominantly female editorial staff remains vigilant about giving women writers an equal voice.
Who else are we going to entrust with such an important task? A bunch of guys?
