Gender and Writings

Gender and Writings

If pens could speak they would be better judges of skill of the hands that handled them and expressed the power and imagination of the grey matter through the ages.  However, over the last two decades perhaps the pens had given this honour to so-called keyboards to make that decision. Regardless whether it is the pen, or the keyboard expressing opinion on the question: ‘whether women are better writers than men’ the sad reality is that in today’s world the answer could only come, or more precisely is determined, through the ringing of the cash register in bookstores or sales through other means, mainly the electronic media, computers, kindles, iphones etc.  If, for whatever reason, the total dollar value of the sale is not the ultimate factor determining the question, it is sure to be the factor that tipped the scale.  Having said that one should be aware of the modern day fact, that the clever marketing of a book written by either a man or a woman or a hermaphrodite for that matter, especially if backed by good financial head start, could make an unknown of either gender a famous writer overnight.  Needless to say ghost writers still survive.

Attempts to shed light on the question of gender and writing by undertaking surveys asking statistically valid numbers of men and women questions on various topics does not, in my opinion, enhance the discussion or the debate.  If anything, those statistical figures obtained from such surveys creates barriers that may limit the scope and depth of the inquiry.  So the question is; how do we enlighten this inquiry and make it meaningful? 

 It is my considered opinion that a good starting point for this inquiry could commence with brief review of two books that were best sellers not that long ago. One of these books is called: ‘Men are from Mars Women are from Venus’ by John Gray the other is called: ‘You Just Don't Understand’ Women and Men in Conversation by Deborah Tannen, who had written earlier book entitled: ‘That’s Not What I Meant!’   In brief, the gist of Gray’s book is that gender relationship problems could be explained or attributable to acclimatization of each gender to its planet which imprints its own psyche. In other words evolutionary and physiological factors had fixated or played dominant role in fixating both women and men psyche.  The example that Gray’s give is complaint by men that if they offer solution to problems that their women folks brings up in conversation the women, more often than not, are more interested in talking about the problem than solving it.  Whilst in general agreement with Gray’s reasoning, Tannen put more emphasis on the fact that from childhood girls learn different approaches to language and communication which she refers to as “rapport-talk” versus “report-talk” to describe female and male social affiliation and emotional connection.   But the real question is whether either of these two learned authors and best sellers, Gray and Tannen, enlightens the debate and shed some light to the question whether women are better writers than men.  In my opinion both writers do to a limited extent by focusing attention on the way each gender treat emotion and mood and how the differences in that treatment is reflected and expressed in everyday life.  I will highlight this by thinking of a situation in which a brawl takes place in a class room or a lecture theatre.  Police comes in and takes statement from witnesses to the brawl, from class mates or fellow students.  The facts as to who commenced the brawl and who got injured are generally agreed upon but you can bet your bottom dollar statements given to the police by each gender that witnessed the same incident would be markedly different.  I can only say, thank God that in such situations a panel jury of 12 decides the guilt or innocence of the accused.

I would also make this observation to do with discipline of obstetric and gynecology.  Experienced clinicians who teach medical students and interns in this discipline always make a point of emphasis and that point is ‘always listen carefully what expectant mothers had to say, whether in normal birth deliveries and acute situations’. Point? A clear situation where women writing on the subject of pregnancy and childbirth would have distinct advantage than anything a man can write about the subject, even if the man in question is the head of the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in a major hospital or medical school.   

It would be factually a fair comment to note that perhaps up until the middle of the twentieth century, as writers, women would have faced significantly greater obstacles than men.  The simple reason is that freedom from restraint and control as a social convention, and emancipation had not taken firm hold and acceptance.   At the same time it is noteworthy to mention writers like Emily Bronte’ novels: Wuthering Heights & Jane Eyre; and Jane Austen novels: Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion.  Perhaps it is more noteworthy to highlight recent news item that the author who wrote the blockbuster ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird’, Harper Lee, in fact put aside a book that she wrote earlier entitled: ‘Go Set a Watchman’ in order to complete writing ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird’ and that book is now to be published and likely to be made into a film some 50 plus years after the classic film To Kill a Mocking Bird.

In summary, it is my opinion that both genders have the potential of churning out blockbusters on wide variety of subjects and life matters.  Thus far the scale is slightly tipped in favour of the male gender but the overwhelming consensus with which I agree is that the scale will soon be tipped in favour of the female gender and may stay there for long time to come.