As I listened to each of the four powerful female speakers at the Climate Strike rally today, I began thinking about the Australian Speculative Fiction scene. These thoughts are partly formed and I’d be happy to hear what others think.
It’s been known in educational circles for some time (at least since the 1970s) that girls do better than boys in English at school. (Yes, it’s a generalisation. On average, girls test higher.) So we would expect that, from the 1980s at least, the preponderance of novels would be written by women using their advantage. Yet, until recently, this has not been so. Until recently males dominated the bookshelves, the libraries, review column inches and awards.
Why?
We males, I believe, rose above our level of ability on the tide of patriarchy. We didn’t have to be as good. We didn’t have to put in as much effort. And because of patriarchy we had more leisure time: while women did the chores and raised the kids, we tinkered on our typewriters. Then an industry favourable to male authors took our work and gave us what we believed was our due.
Now I believe the tide is beginning to turn. Patriarchy is receding from its high-water mark. We are seeing more women on Australian fantasy and science fiction bookshelves, dominating shortlists and awards*. And now, as the tide goes out, previous male success is revealed to have been bolstered by privilege. We men are unprepared for the incredible talent of women, both young and old, who can no longer be kept out. The playing field is as yet by no means level, but already men are falling behind because We. Just. Haven’t. Learned. To. Do. The. Hard. Yards. Women, well, women know all about the hard yards. Time for us to learn from them.
*for example, in the last 12 years of Australia’s Aurealist Award we’ve had eight female and four male winners of the Best Fantay novel, with sixteen male and 54 female-authored works shortlisted.
insanemapboy 
Leave a comment