Pitch it up, Ladies! Your time has come

First Susan Estrich pointed out that male op-ed writers vastly outnumbered female contributors to the LA Times. According to Glamour deputy editor Ruth Davis Konigsberg, men similarly outnumber women in the pages of top magazines. According to the NYT, Konigsberg has been keeping track since the beginning of September, watching bylines in Harper's, The New Yorker,The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair and The Atlantic Monthly (full breakdown of results thus far found here)(NB this does not include letters, poems, roundtables etc. Straight bylines). So far the gents take it 324 to 99. Cullen Murphy says they're working on it; David Remnick and Gerald Marzorati didn't comment (declining to comment for your own paper? How very Judy Miller of you, Marzorati); Graydon Carter sarcastically said he'd get right on it (sarcasic or not, Graydon effectively went on record promising to publish way more women, so ready thy query letters!). It's not only women, of course; anyone remember Princeton senior Katy Milkman and her number-crunching analysis of New Yorker fiction? She found, inter alia, that "male editors generally publish male authors who write about male characters who are supported by female characters" (per David Carr). The numbers don't lie, unlike evil oppressive men. I am obviously joking, but it would be great if this raised awareness and opened doors for talented women. Hopefully there won't be a backlash like there was with Estrich, particularly because we met Ruth Davis Konigsberg and found her to be very cool (yes! she's the wife of Eric Konigsberg, "Blood Relation" author and Fishbowl Friend - more blog synchronicity!). Interestingly, Julie Bosman is the former research assistant to Maureen Dowd (referenced in her book, no less); there are obviously thematic synergies. NB: Use of Salon's "Broadsheet" lady writer was not accidental. I may have spoken too soon. Update: Julie informs us that she is now a media/advertising reporter for Business Day; congrats on the move smack-dab into our beat, Julie! At Some Magazines, Men Appear to Rule the Word [NYT] Related: Rebecca Traister on chick lit and good writing [Salon] New Yorker Fiction, by the Numbers; A Princeton Student Does the Math on a Magazine's Choices [NYT] Susan Estrich on the op-ed ratios at the LAT [DC Examiner] What's A Modern Girl To Do? [NYT]

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Pitch it up, Ladies! Your time has come

Rachel

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