Women and Writing

by Anne Znnis Dagg

Anyone new to the literary scene in today. Women's novels were so in de- women. Whereas before 1950,40percent Canada should be impressed with what mand that, of all the fiction books pub- of fiction books were by women, in 1984- individual women writers have achieved. lished by Canadians up until 1950, 40 85 only 26 percent were by women; the Our top fiction writers tend to be women percent were by women. Of books of percentage of poetry books has similarly - Margaret Laurence, Alice Munro, poetry, 37 percent were by ~omen.~Even decreased, from 37 percent to 29 percent4 Margaret Atwood, Mavis Gallant - and so, some women apparently still felt that In only two categories, food and drink, these authors are famous outside Canada to be known as an author was not quite and juvenile and young adult books, as well as within our borders. A few proper, because they wrote under men's which are thought of stereotypically as women such as these can make a living names or pseudonyms. feminine, were there more books pub- from their earnings as writers. These facts Women who wrote non-fiction were no lished by women than by men. In the three would certainly seem positive, and a trib- less successful, with at least 750 publish- fields of nature and ecology, music, and ute to the Canada Council which, by its ing nearly 1.100 books by 1945.3 My science, only one-tenth or less of books grants, has allowed far more Canadians to current research indicates that up to 1885, published were by women. The chance of be creative than in any other time in our the most common topics were travel and encountering a woman's perspective on history. A close look at the writing scene description (15 books), and autobiogra- these subjects is very small. in Canada,however, indicates that despite phy (17 books). No women authors in this The number of books published by men the success of a few exceptional individu- period had obtained a university educa- and women would only be discriminatory als, women in general fare far worse than tion, so many may have felt less confident if women wrote or were commissioned to men as authors. Not only that, but com- than men of being able to tackle more write more than one-third of books which pared to men they fare worse than they did academic subjects. By 1915, however, could be published. There is no way of a century ago. this diffidence had disappeared. Between knowing how many books by men and In earlier days of Canada, women as a 1886 and 1915, the mostpopular topic for women are submitted to publishers, or whole were more successful as writers women writers was history (58 books), how many by either sex are commis- than they are today. The sisters Susanna social issues (36 books), biography (31 sioned by publishers, but the available Moodie and Catharine Parr Trail1 both books) and religion (23 books). These information indicates that there are more wrote books about Canada (1836, 1852) topics, except for religion, remained the women than men authors in Canada. which sold well enough to immigrants most popular in the period 1916 to 1945. About half the members of the Writers' and potential immigrants to make their As the figures indicate, the number of Union in Canada, in which the yearly dues authors famous. Margaret Marshall Saun- books published in Canada or about are $160. are women. as are about two- ders wrote best-selling fiction, including Canada increased steadily over the years, thirds of the members of the Canadian BeautifuIJoe (1894) which was translated from 17 between 1841-1855tonearly 500 Authors Association (yearly dues $75 into fourteen languages and sold over one between 1931-1945. plus a $25 one-time initiation fee). The million copies, the first Canadian book to In 1957, the CanadaCouncil was set up League of Canadian Poets has about 38 do so. Sara Jeannette Duncan (1861- which, since then, has funnelled many percent of members who are women, but 1922) was well known as a journalist and millions of dollars into the pockets of Ca- unlike in the other groups, its full mem- later, as the author of twenty-two novels. nadian writers. Presumably unwittingly, bers must be voted in and women have Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote the inter- however, the Canada Council has given claimed there has been discrimination nationally acclaimed Anne of Green far more money to men than women writ- against women in the selection process.' Gables (1908) plus twenty-one other ers, and far more money to publishers and Any poet can become an associate mem- novels. And Mazo de la Roche was cele- other institutions which favour men's ber, of which about 55 percent are brated around the world as creator of the over women's literature. The result has women. With so many serious women family chronicle, the Jalna series (1927- been a decrease in women's compared writers, it seems veryy unlikely that we 60. with men's writing. men produce many fewer unsolicited In early Canada women could make The most significant difference be- book manuscripts than men. It does seem considerable money from writing fiction, tween the sexes is the publication each likely that publishers commission men even though much of it was not of high year in Canada of more than two-thirds of more often than women to write books on quality and is no longer remembered books by men, and less than one-third by such stereotypically male subjects as his-

VOLUME s. NUMBER 3 n tory, sport, politics, business, computers, Canadian literature courses, while the women are published each year in Can- and philosophy. University of Waterloo mentioned no ada, it is not suprising that further Canada Once a book has been published, its women for its similar courses. Professors Council funds ear-marked for promotion chances of selling well or of being read are justify their choice of books to be studied / tours by authors of new books, for public slim if it is not reviewed in a number of by saying that they are the best and the newspapers, magazines, and journals. A 1 readings by authors, and for translations best known. Because the professors are , of their books benefit men far more than survey of the Globe and Mail, the Kitch- men, or women who have been trained to women. All of these activities foster male ener-Waterloo Record, the Toronto Sun- see things with male-biased eyes, books I more than female authors, which means day Star, and Saturday Night reveals, by and about women often seem that the men become better known than however, that these publications review unimportant, despite their possibly great the women and are more likely to have proportionately fewer of the books by interest to women. Feminists argue that books published because they are well- women than the nearly one-third pub- books by women are equally good but known. The effects arecircular, driven by lished. Fewer than one-third of the re- have few academics to stand up for them; tax-payers' money supplied by the Can- viewers are also women, so that compared because of this they are not well-known. ada Council. to men, women as reviewers have far less The male domination of university Needless to say, all of the factors dis- chance of gaining a forum for their ideas, English departments has far-reaching cussed so far affect the earnings of Cana- of earning money by doing reviews, and effects. When universities decide what dian authors. A survey camedout in 1978 of becoming well-known. Often publica- archival material to collect, they favour by Statistics Canadagfound that full-time tions ask the few women reviewers to the papers of male far more often than women writers earn about half of what review women's books; this could be a female writers, so that most female au- full-timemen writers earn. The women's good thing because women may be more thors will be as little known in the future lower earnings were not because they sensitive to women's work, or it could be as they are at present. Since professors were mostly poets (who are notoriously that book page editors think women's tend to value writing by men over that by underpaid), or because they had less edu- books unimportant and therefore suitable women, they will be likely to write better cation or experience, or because they had for women reviewers. letters of reference for their male students less work accepted. For example, a full- Up to 40 percent of book sales in Can- who apply for Canada Council grants and time woman writer with ten or more years ada are made to public sector libraries, so other awards, fellowships, and scholar- of experience earned five times less than they form a major market. Unfortunately, ships. a comparable man earned, a woman with some public libraries choose to buy fewer The present literature of Canada is a second university degree earned three books by women, relatively, than are made possible largely by the finances and a half times less than a comparable published. This means not only that rela- supplied by the Canada Council. This man earned; and a woman who had more tively fewer women writers sell their money works to the greatest extent than 50 percent of her work accepted books to libraries, but that relatively against women when it is given in large earned two and a half times less than a fewer patrons have a chance to read them. chunks to publishers who then use it to comparable man. A full-time woman This is so even though one Canadian sur- produce mostly books by men. writer earned only $8,595 a year on vey showed that64 percent of women but Canada Council money also goes di- average, or a median of $3,755 a year, only 52 percent of men read books: that rectly in grants to more men than women, which means most women earned fatless more women than men visit public librar- in part because more men than women than the average. Of all the women sur- ies in Canada,' and that many women apply. In 1985-86 less than a third of the veyed, 58 percent had no other salaried prefer to read books by women? There is most prestigious "A" Grants (up to employment. no dearth of books that librarians could $20,000 in value) went to women, while At present, society does not much value buy, because 70,000 in English are pub- 44 percent of the more numerous "B" women's writing the way it didin thepast. lished every year. By having many fewer Grants (up to $14,000 or $15,000 in Women writers earn so little that they books by women than men in public li- value) went to women. (Why fewer must wonder if they are wasting their braries, women also earn less money from women apply is a point of conjecture: time. Feminists, however, believe that the new federal government's Public some have husbands who support them women's writing is incredibly important; Lending Rights program. and feel they are not needy enough; some without it there is little chance of making It is perhaps not surprising that librari- have been turned down for a grant once the world a better place for women and ans choose to buy far more books by men and give up hope after realizing that most children. Men and women, from the min- than by women because the schools and grants go to men; some believe society ute they are born, begin to experience life universities at which they studied also when it tells them that women's creativity differently. Society hears mostly about undervalue books by women. Although is unimportant). the experience of being male, so it is most English students at university are The people who decide which writers important that women correct this bias as women, there are far more male than will be funded by grants are appointed by far as possible with their writing. female English professors and most of the the staff of the Canada Council. These Canada needs far more women's books books studied are by men, with heroes jurors are writers, but they are usually on topics that affect women especially, who are also male. Canadian literature men; they tend to be members of the 1 such as lesbianism, abortion, incest, courses described in university calendars literary establishment, and thus less at- mothering, child- and wife-battering, and always mention more male than female tuned to new ideas than younger people powerlessness. Men in the past and often authors, and sometimes omit women en- might be. Jurors are virtually never femi- today, too, have not only been tirely. For example, the University of nists, so that the chances of a radical uninterested in these subjects, but have Victoria in its 1986-87, calendar men- lesbian receiving money, for example, are sometimes worked actively to prevent tioned authors who were fewer than one- slim. women learning about them. In addition, third women who would be studied in Since far more books by men than we need women's books on subjects that

CANADIAN WOMAN STUDIES/LES CAHIERS DE LA FEMME are usually written aboutby men. Women journalists who work on salary for news- Lorimer's Book Reading in Canada are likely to write about war, reproductive papers and magazines. published by the Association of Canadian technology, social history, and psychol- Publishers (1983). ogy from different perspectives. Prof. Regindd Watters published in Finally, some argue that women have a 1959A CheckListof CanadianLiteratwe Also from James Lorimer's (1983) different style of writing, and are more and Background Materials 1628-1950 report. likely than men to be innovative and (University of Toronto Press) which in- imaginative in their work. This may well cludes the full names of authors of fiction Many feminists, and other women too, be true, and if so, we should value such and poetry from which one can make a list have told me they read mostly men's diversity. of male and female writers. books during their childhood education In Canadian literature as a whole, a few and that now they read only women's women are currently successful and well For my current research I have a file books. known. This is wonderful. But women of 750 names of women non-fiction writ- should work to ensure that the thousands ers who were either Canadian or who These data are from Survey of Writ- of other women writers can also have their wrote about Canadabefore 1946 in nearly ers, 1979, Arts and Culture Branch, De- work published and read so that all Cana- 1,100 books. partment of Communications, Ottawa. dians will be enriched. The figures quoted in this article are from The Fifty Per Cent Solution unless otherwise specified. ' This material comes from my book The Fifty Per Cent Solution: Why Should See Sharon H. Nelson's "The Sexual Women Pay for Men's Culture? (Otter Politics of Poetry" in the League of Cana- Anne Innis Dagg is Academic Director Press, Box 747, Waterloo, Ontario N2J dian Poets' Newsletter for the summer of of the Independent Studies Programof the 4C2; $8.00 plus 50$ postage) and from 1981. University of Waterloo. She has just ' my current research on non-fiction writ- completed with Pat .l.Thompson a book ers. It does not include information on These figures are from James on women and Canadian universities. i - - --. \

I Claire Prm drawing that Margaret Laurence enjoyed I

VOLUME 8, NUMBER 3 59