Quote:
Originally Posted by GERGE
The fact is there are more male authors than female. 30:70 is normal.
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No, the fact is more male authors are *published* than female.
Hence the need for minority awards--not because "they can't compete on a fair field," but because the field is not fair. If male and female authors are roughly equally talented, and awards are unbiased, then female authors will win roughly 30% of the awards--which implies to future authors & readers that women write less than half as many excellent books as men.
Minority-eligible awards are designed to offset the bias that already exists in the publishing industry by showcasing works that were drowned out by sheer numbers of the majority group. Those awards fight the inertia of centuries of bias that may no longer be consciously applied, but continues because "it's what's comfortable."
(And when was the last time a male author was told, "I'm sorry; we've already got a novel this season about a straight white man. Do you think you could write something else?")