2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Hey!

At school, I'm doing a study of studies; not anything specific, but methods of studying and presenting your work. For this, I need to do a small survey and figure out the best way to present it for the class. And since I'm too shy to go out and ask people on the streets, I was hoping you guys would help me by answering a few small questions! (No names or anything will be used, of course. I just need some data so I have something to work on, when the actual exercise is to present collected data.)

1. What is your gender?
2. Do you read most books by male or female authors?
3. Do you read most books with a male or female lead character?
4. Do you think about the author's gender when choosing a book to read?
5. Do you think about the main character's gender when choosing a book to read?

Thank you!

EDIT: Thank you for all your answers! I have what I need now and don't need more (:

1. Female
2. Female
3. Female
4. No
5. No

Hey Felicia,

1. Female
2. Male authors
3. Depending on the genre I'd say it's 50/50.
4. Yes and no. Honestly, how much thought goes into it depends on the genre. However, a majority of my favorite authors are male. I've just had better reading experiences with books written by male authors so I gravitate towards those.
5. Not really. I may have initial preferences but I don't discriminate and won't purposely choose a book based on that criteria.

Hi Felicia,


1. Female
2. My ratio is pretty close, but I would say it is 60:40 for female authors.
3. Female leads.
4. No.
5. No.

Good luck on your project!

1. Female
2. Probably male, since I read a lot of horror, and most of the authors are male, although I think that is starting to change a bit:-).
3. Male; again due to me reading a lot of horror.
4. I do like to seek out female authors in the horror genre, just because there aren't that many of them. For other genres, I don't think at all about gender.
5. No, not at all.

1. female 2. female 3. female 4. no 5. no

1. What is your gender?
Female

2. Do you read most books by male or female authors?
Female

3. Do you read most books with a male or female lead character?
Not sure

4. Do you think about the author's gender when choosing a book to read?
No.

5. Do you think about the main character's gender when choosing a book to read?
No.

1. Female
2. It's pretty close but I'd guess I've read books written by a few more male authors.
3. Male
4. No. Sometimes if I'm honest I have no idea what gender they are especially if they only use their first initial.
5. Not really no.

1. Female
2. I think it's 50/50
3. Also I think it's 50/50
4. No
5. No

1. Female
2. male
3.I think it's about 50/50
4.No
5.No

1. Female
2. Female
3. Female
4. No
5. No

1. Female
2. Male
3. not sure
4. no
5. no

1.Male
2.Male
3.Male
4.No
5.No

1. Female
2. Male
3. I think about 50/50
4. Not usually - sometimes I try to read books by women, but usually I just read
5. Never

1 female
2 male
3 male
4 no
5 no

Thanks, guys!

Not sure if you're still taking participant answers, but I'll inject mine here:

What is your gender? = Female
2. Do you read most books by male or female authors? = male most likely
3. Do you read most books with a male or female lead character? = probably slightly more books with a female lead
4. Do you think about the author's gender when choosing a book to read? = no
5. Do you think about the main character's gender when choosing a book to read? = yes. prefer a female lead but it will not overall affect my decision on choosing a book, especially if the story looks interesting.

1. female
2. female
3. female
4. no
5. no

1. What is your gender? Female
2. Do you read most books by male or female authors? Male
3. Do you read most books with a male or female lead character? Male
4. Do you think about the author's gender when choosing a book to read? No
5. Do you think about the main character's gender when choosing a book to read? No

1. Female
2. I'd say relatively equal
3. Probably more female, but I'm not 100% sure
4. No, not at all. I actually don't pay too much attention to who the author is, aside from a few of my favourites.
5. No, I choose books based on the plot, not the characters' genders.

1. fenale
2./3. male
4./5. no

(But I do think a lot about the gender problem on the book market as such, as it kind of comes with my job...)

1. What is your gender?
Female

2. Do you read most books by male or female authors?
I usually look for female authors, but I think I'm reading both.

3. Do you read most books with a male or female lead character?
I prefer female.

4. Do you think about the author's gender when choosing a book to read?
Yes, I usually look for female authors.

5. Do you think about the main character's gender when choosing a book to read?
I like to feel like I am the characters, so a male characters does different things I'd do.

1. What is your gender? Female
2. Do you read most books by male or female authors? Probably male.
3. Do you read most books with a male or female lead character? Both
4. Do you think about the author's gender when choosing a book to read? No
5. Do you think about the main character's gender when choosing a book to read? No

1. Male
2. Male
3. Both
4. No
5. No

Thank you, guys, I have what I need :D

Now that Felicia has what she was looking for, I have to ask -- those who said they specifically look for authors or characters of a certain gender, is there a reason why?

1. Female
2. Both
3. Both
4. No
5. Yes

1. Female
2. Male
3. Both 50/50
4. No
5. No

Rachel wrote: "Now that Felicia has what she was looking for, I have to ask -- those who said they specifically look for authors or characters of a certain gender, is there a reason why?"

I actually do so myself. Not because I like one gender more than the other in my authors. In fact, I checked to see for fun whether I've given higher ratings to one gender, but my ratings are incredibly close; I think the difference was 0,2 % or something like that.

But I noticed at some point that I had read A LOT more from male authors, and then I wondered why. After that I started noticing how women are often overlooked in many areas and sometimes even airbrushed from history.

So I made it a thing that I would try read as many books from female authors as from male authors, so at least female authors aren't being airbrushed from my personal history.

I don't usually think much about the gender of the main character.

(Also, sorry this response came two months after your question! xD)

1. I'm female
2. Authors: equal
3. Characters: male
4. No
5. No