“There is still a clear, continuing inequality between female and male writers of non-fiction”
SUZANNAH LIPSCOMB, chair of the judging panel for the new Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction, explains why it marks an important step in challenging the ‘authority gap’
How did the new prize come about?
In February 2023, the Women’s Prize Trust announced its intention to create this new annual book award. It’s almost 30 years since the Women’s Prize for Fiction was launched, and it had long been the trust’s goal to establish a sister prize to amplify exceptional narrative non-fiction writing by women. There also was a sense of the zeitgeist. For some time, I’ve also advocated for a non-fiction prize for women. The new award was made possible by funding from the Charlotte Aitken Trust [which supports literature, writing and reading], Findmypast [a UK-based family tree company] and an anonymous donor.
Why is such an award important today? There is still a clear, continuing inequality between female and male writers of non-fiction. Research by the Women’s Prize Trust shows that books by women are less likely to be reviewed, less likely to appear in ‘Best Books of the Year’ roundups, less likely to be shortlisted or win non-fiction prizes, and more likely to receive a lower advance. I don’t think this is because books by women aren’t as good as men’s. It’s about perceptions of authority.
Do you think there’s a gendered divide between readers of fiction and nonfiction that needs to be tackled! Journalist Mary Ann Sieghart found that men are four times more likely to read a novel written by a man than one by a woman. We don’t currently have the stats for non-fiction – we’re working on it – but I suspect a similar gender split is true.
;ou’ve highlighted the fact that readers tend to buy more history books by men than by women. Why is that?
It’s the ‘authority gap’, a concept coined by Sieghart. Women are, statistics show, less likely than men to be taken seriously, especially by men. It’s the lingering perception that men have authority and expertise, and women do not. They do.
As a historian, have you encountered differences in the ways male and female authors are regarded, and the subjects they’re expected to write about?
Things have changed in academic circles but there is still a way to go before female historians are seen as possessing the same level of authority as men within the public sphere. To some extent, I think women are expected to write about women, family and society, men about war and ‘big ideas’. Some of this is about women redressing the balance, sharing perspectives on the past, but some is just misplaced categorisation.
What impact would you like the new award to have?
To bring attention to the talented and often overlooked female writers creating groundbreaking non-fiction, and to show that authority and expertise are qualities that women possess in spades.
Suzannah Lipscomb is chairing the inaugural Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction 2024. The longlist will be announced on 15 February, the shortlist on 27 March and the winner on 13 June. For more details, visit womensprize.com