Men or Women Writers?

Then by the same token, we would choose psychiatrists based on gender as well (well, some may do that now. What I meant really was that you'd only be able to see a therapist of your own gender for it to be successful). It's an interesting question but I don't know that I've ever wondered what gender wrote the web content on a website that I've visited.

Now, would Maureen Dowd's Are Men Necessary be different if written by a man? Of course, and that's not only a question of voice but of Dowd's experiences as a female around men. But since that's more of an editorialized piece, I think gender plays more of a role.

 

Not really, which is why I tried to separate the "professional" versus "lifestyle" side of things. Seeing an article by a male psychologist telling women how to land their dream guy would be completely different (to me) than an article on the emotional aspects of being a single woman over 30. No man could really understand that the way a woman who's been there could, and it's much less likely their article would be a flop reaching me as a member of their prospective audience than if it were written by a woman. That said, it's not just about their sex. It would be equally useless to me if written by an 18 year old woman for example. Some topics really need to be covered by people who can relate to them, that's all.

 

I agree to a point, but I still think that introduces even more unnecessary segregation. By following that logic it seems to me that we would end up with the conclusion that you will not write as good an article about something you haven't been through personally as one who has. I don't know that this is true. Some people are just natural observers and can see the nuances in a situation that those going through it can not. They also sometimes offer a less biased, less emotional viewpoint.

That being said, I think there are instances in which you are dead right. As an example, I would not enjoy reading a freelance writing blog by someone who is not a freelance writer. But does that mean that their insight has nothing to offer me? Heck, I've seen some really crappy freelance writing blogs by real freelance writers--I bet a non-writer with great insight could beat them to shreds.

I'm going to say that there is no clear cut answer to this. I think it really depends on what the reader wants to get out of the article. Since I tend to be more on the masculine side with emotions it could be that I don't really notice when a female-centric article is written with a detached male hand. Not a literally detached hand mind you...a hand that is attached to the body but detached from the emotional aspect of the subject matter.

 

I don't think we're really in much disagreement. I'm just saying there are definitely cases where a woman would be a more logical fit when trying to appeal to a female audience (and I have no doubt the same is true for men's publications). You make a point with the freelance writing example. With that example, sex (or any other classification) truly doesn't matter, because either could become one and write about it. It's also something that can be fairly easily researched. So as a reader that wouldn't bother me as much as let's say a man writing about what it feels like to give birth - something technically impossible for him to experience and fully understand from a woman's perspective, and not the type of subject matter research alone would make it easy to convey (unless the whole thing revolved around anecdotes from women). Seeing a male author's name would instantly hurt the credibility of that article with me, even before reading it. A female's name would lend more credibility on a completely subconscious level, even if I had no way of knowing if she'd experienced childbirth or not. And the subconscious reactions are important to consider if you're trying to run any kind of reader-centric authority site (it probably wouldn't matter in the slightest for basic SEO Web content targeting SEs rather than readers though).

 

Women if you are thinking to make it a part time stuff. Men can work for hours and hours but women have other things to do. There are many women who have to do the household work and work as article writer.

 

I think we are on the same track JH, just took me a minute to bring myself there

 

History has taught us that the male race is the superior species, but hey, let's not open that can a worms.

 

I think it depends on the subject mostly...

 

Umm, guess what. Women can "work for hours and hours" just as much. There are many men who write part-time (because of their family responsibilities, other jobs, etc.) just as there are women who do.

 

If weren't reading this on an online forum, I would say this was written some time during the late 19th century.

 

You do realise all us ladies are sitting in our attics quietly typing into a secret laptop, much as the Bronte sisters wrote their novels, don't you

 

As for me, if it is good content it does not matter who's writing what. If it gives me the information I need I am fine with it.

 

I don't think gender is the issue here. It's the skills that's most important.

 

I don't think gender would be an issue here. It's more about the perception. So a good writer for your situation would be one who can understand the target audience (in this case women) better. I guess the content has to be more sensible and less factual. Just my two cents.

 

Absolutely true. It all depends on the topic....a woman can more than likely write a good article about menstration or about how it feels being pregnant as opposed to a man.

 

YL & JH, good stuff .. thanks!

 

As long as an article is well written and to the point, it doesn't matter. However, I often find myself - out of idle curiosity - wondering whether the article was written by a man or a women - especially if I enjoy the piece. Usually I'd glance at the byline to see who wrote it.

 

A good content writer could actually write behind a good pen (author) name without having to reveal his gender.

It would really take some practice for a woman content writer to write specifically for the male audience, I mean, try to consider the language and, not to mention, their style.

 

Not men nor women. The most important thing is their skill on writing.

 

If I'm not mistaken, you're looking for the voice of the writer to come through. A woman can insert certain words and phrases that other women connect to much more easily than a man can in many cases. The quality of the written word is important, of course, but the natural connection through words and usage is not grammar and content - it's more innate than that, and I'd wager about 97% of men can't write in an authentic female voice - authority content or not.