Action Alert | Stamps of Approval for NYT Reading Lists
We’re back at it again using the GenderAvenger tally on best-of and nomination lists to see who makes the season warm and bright and who makes our heart shrink faster than the Grinch.
This week we looked at the gender breakdown of two New York Times 2021 Best of Lists - The 25 Best Children’s Books of 2021 and Time Critics' Top Books of 2021.
2021 Best Books for Our Youngest Readers
The New York Times describes this list as, “The most notable picture, middle grade and young adult books of the year, selected by The Times’s children’s books editor.” This year, we have to agree! Of the 25 books on their list, 15 of them were written by women, and 9 by women of color. The 25 Best Children’s Books of 2021 List officially gets a Gender Avenger Gold Stamp of Approval for their author representation!
As you know, the fight for representation is ongoing. In addition to celebrating the author inclusivity of the NYT 25 Best Children’s Books, we also want to highlight room for improvement in the illustrators of this list: only 7 women and 4 women of color in the 25 total books mentioned. Equal representation matters in all areas and all industries, so let’s encourage the NYT to continue fighting for a Gold Stamp of Approval in every aspect of every list they make!
2021 Top Picks by Times’ Critics
Each year, New York Times critics choose their favorite books from the last 12 months, categorized within Fiction & Poetry and Nonfiction. We love to see an even split for women and men authors, but equal representation for women of color is missing in their roundup. Women of color represent just over 18% of the total authors on this list, earning a GenderAvenger Bronze Stamp of Approval.
Why do we care? According to a 2019 Data USA visualization board, 60.2% of writers & authors were women with 81% identifying as white. And although women are heavily represented in the field, men made $17,683 more than their female counterparts. Who writes books and how they’re compensated for their work is very important. But… if we’re going to make changes that are more inclusive and equitable, we can’t just look at authors, we must look at the entire publishing industry.
In 2020, Lee & Low Books released their Diversity in Publishing - Diversity Baseline Study (DBS 2.0), surveying 2,609 reviewer employees, 17,100 trade publishing employees, 1,528 university press employees, and 516 literary agents. Their findings revealed that the publishing industry was 76% white, 74% cis woman, 81% straight, and 89% non-disabled. When comparing their data to the survey released four years prior, the industry saw no substantial growth in the representation of non-white racial groups or non-binary and gender-nonconforming people.
How do we change this? Pipelines! Building pipelines and access to industries is what changes the equation. Investing in internship experiences or intentionally building programs that welcome and create space for historically marginalized groups could provide both short-term and long term solutions. The Lee & Low DBS 2.0 effort revealed that, “interns are significantly more diverse than the industry as a whole”. Of the interns surveyed in 2019, 49% identified as a person of color, 49% identified as LGBTQIA, and 22% identified as having a disability. Ideally, interns gain important professional growth, skill development, and network boosts during their time with a company which in turn sustains the industry over time.
Brave efforts to dig into the data and reveal problem areas is the kind of work we like to see. The DBS 2.0 intern data and lists like The 25 Best Children’s Books of 2021 and Time Critics' Top Books of 2021 let us know there are brighter days ahead in publishing.
Community Action
As you cozy up to a warm fire with a book and your favorite cup of cocoa, think about who writes our stories, how they write our stories, and who is compensated for writing these stories.
Find a best-of authors, screenwriters, or book list.
Use the tally to find out if women and women of color are represented. Does your selected list meet our goal of 50% women, 20% women of color overall?
Resources and Reads
What are others doing to help women claim their place at the table, the mic, or other places of power and influence? We hope that this week’s reads empower and inspire your advocacy:
The holiday gift-buying season highlights the gendered world of toy aisles. For many parents, gender-neutral toys can be hard to find. This 19th Gender Neutral Toys List provides inspiration for gift-givers seeking to spread joy outside the blue-pink gender binary.
Nature recently announced they’ve made progress improving the representation and participation of women at scientific conferences, while also acknowledging that there’s still work to do. Gender balance at Nature Conferences: an update, proves organizations can take a critical look at their gender gaps without fear and shame.
The NCAA Basketball Tournament has come under fire during the last two years for lack of inequality between the men’s and women’s coverage and perks. This weekend they announced a major shift in gender equality, NCAA to Pay Officials Same in Both Basketball Tournaments.
Who are the leaders making moves for gender equality? WeAreThe City announces 50 trailblazers responsible for campaigns that have a significant impact on gender equality. We Are the City Releases Top 50 Trailblazers
We’ve got BIG plans for 2022 and we’d love your support to ensure that women’s voices are counted!
P.S. Thank you to everyone who has been participating in #GATallyTuesday! Look out for a reminder on social media each Tuesday to share your tallies!
📣🚨 #GATally takes on New York Times’ book best-of lists and critics’ top picks and there’s lots to celebrate! How do we keep making progress in the publishing industry? A 2020 industry survey by Lee & Low Books has our data wheels spinning.