Are 50% of the People Reading Comics Women??

[sundrycollect]

I saw something the other day that stated 50% of all comics readers are women.

 

I find that impossible to believe based on who I see at my LCS, at conventions etc.

 

Is there any data to support this?

[Doktor]

Take into account digital sales, and it wouldn't shock me if we're approaching that number. I don't think it's 1/2 way there yet, but it's certainly orders of magnitude greater than it was 10 or 15 years ago.

 

I don't know if there's been any studies or anything on it, but if LCS owners or even mail-order dealers review their records, I bet the numbers are on the rise. And you'd also have to get data from Comixology or Marvel or DC's digital sales list to really get these numbers accurate.

[Vikingreed]

50% would floor me.

No way would I have thought that.

[jaybuck43]

I'm curious to see this post you read. I've seen nothing of the such, actually most posts state that while fandom is up, comics are still written and aimed at male readers (which is problematic because the number of female readers is greatly on the rise) Are you sure it wasn't last years survey that showed that 46.67% of comic book fans are female? The data on that was based on checking facebook profiles to see who identified as a comic book fan. Based off that data 46.67% of respondents were female. But that is a terrible study (as it 1) only counts people on facebook, 2) only counts people who self identify, I know tons of people who are comic book readers and fans who never talk about it.

[bb8]

Who is saying that female readership is 50%? I find that number preposterous.

[sundrycollect]

I will try to dig up the article I was reading. Right now I have to go to the day job.

[Flaming_Telepath]

Are you sure it wasn't last years survey that showed that 46.67% of comic book fans are female? The data on that was based on checking facebook profiles to see who identified as a comic book fan. Based off that data 46.67% of respondents were female. But that is a terrible study (as it 1) only counts people on facebook, 2) only counts people who self identify,

 

And why would women be more likely to do either of those things than men?

 

I'm not suggesting the data is right, but I don't see those as reasons why it's wrong?

[SquareChaos]

This reminds me of when a stat floated around that something like 50% of gamers were women... turns out they were counting all types of gamers as 'gamers' - if you'd played a game of Angry Birds on your phone, you were counted.

 

What does a woman have to do to be counted here? Have read Sally Forth once in 1983? Maybe she's read XKCD once? Maybe her parents used to buy her Donald Duck comics when she was a kid?

[thunsicker]

Are you sure it wasn't last years survey that showed that 46.67% of comic book fans are female? The data on that was based on checking facebook profiles to see who identified as a comic book fan. Based off that data 46.67% of respondents were female. But that is a terrible study (as it 1) only counts people on facebook, 2) only counts people who self identify,

 

And why would women be more likely to do either of those things than men?

 

I'm not suggesting the data is right, but I don't see those as reasons why it's wrong?

 

More female facebook users than male facebook users. (155 million more monthly visits by females than males)

 

[RCheli]

I think that women aren't 50%, but they're a lot larger than they've ever been. At conventions, women are buying stuff all the time from me. They're just not buying Silver Age stuff. They don't seem to care about variants. They are all about the story.

 

Women (and this is just a sample of 1 -- me) buy more trades and sets and random issues that they like the character. I know very few women who collect older books.

[SquareChaos]

I think that women aren't 50%, but they're a lot larger than they've ever been. At conventions, women are buying stuff all the time from me. They're just not buying Silver Age stuff. They don't seem to care about variants. They are all about the story.

 

Women (and this is just a sample of 1 -- me) buy more trades and sets and random issues that they like the character. I know very few women who collect older books.

 

I would concur with this - the hobby is more welcoming than it has ever been, and that is a good thing.

[Flaming_Telepath]

Are you sure it wasn't last years survey that showed that 46.67% of comic book fans are female? The data on that was based on checking facebook profiles to see who identified as a comic book fan. Based off that data 46.67% of respondents were female. But that is a terrible study (as it 1) only counts people on facebook, 2) only counts people who self identify,

 

And why would women be more likely to do either of those things than men?

 

I'm not suggesting the data is right, but I don't see those as reasons why it's wrong?

 

More female facebook users than male facebook users. (155 million more monthly visits by females than males)

 

Doesn't mean there's more female users.

 

Just that females make more use of it.

[RCheli]

And you have to sell to women differently. That sounds sexist, but I don't mean it to be.

 

With men and teenage boys, they seem to know a lot about these characters from years of video games, movies, comics, and cartoons. They have a lot of preconceived notions of stuff. They like Spider-Man or Marvel or Batman. I tend to sell them specific issues, what's hot, an investment.

 

Women like comics as comics. They like to read and they don't have to follow any specific title. I can sell them on a story, and it doesn't matter if it's DC or Marvel or Image. If they say they like sci-fi, I can lead them to various trades or sets. If they like Harley Quinn, I can offer up something.

 

This is a good thing because if you're buying for enjoyment, you're more likely to continue to do so. If you'r buying for investment, you can often times leave the hobby.

[SquareChaos]

I hope there are some guys buying comics from you just for the enjoyment of the medium - that'd be sad otherwise.

[Gunnz]

I think it's great that more women are reading comics! I'm curious to know how you read comics and make sandwiches at the same time!

 

Oh those women are full of surprises!

 

 

 

[RCheli]

I hope there are some guys buying comics from you just for the enjoyment of the medium - that'd be sad otherwise.

 

There are.

 

But I'd say a lot of guys just come up to my booth and look at the wall and see what I have there. They're not looking through the boxes.

 

Now I love those guys, because they spend money. And there's nothing wrong with people who buy comics only for investment. You don't HAVE to read them. But it may be 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 for investors, male readers, and female readers. (And nearly every investor is a male.) Now my $$ total may be 60/20/20 where 60% of my sales dollars are investor/wall books.

[MetalPSI]

You misplaced a decimal point, that's 0.5%.

 

Which also happens to be the number of women in the world that have probably slapped me and called me a jerk

[Artboy99]

I think that women aren't 50%, but they're a lot larger than they've ever been. At conventions, women are buying stuff all the time from me. They're just not buying Silver Age stuff. They don't seem to care about variants. They are all about the story.

 

Women (and this is just a sample of 1 -- me) buy more trades and sets and random issues that they like the character. I know very few women who collect older books.

 

I would concur with this - the hobby is more welcoming than it has ever been, and that is a good thing.

 

I also support this. I have many female buyers of books when I am selling at local conventions and agree that they buy based on characters they like and stories. They do buy keys but not as many as males do.

[Revol]

From my own experience I can certainly believe that 50% of readers are female. In my workplace alone, more women are into comics than the guys, and they are generally women in their early to mid-twenties. Visiting my LCS on new comic book day I would say 50% of the customers are female, and again generally younger than the male customers.

 

I think the main difference here, is women are reading comics. Men are collecting them, and probably collecting back issues, which is why the female audience is so important to publishers.

[SquareChaos]

Rarely ever a woman in my LCS - few and far between.

 

I still remember the day I ran into a female comic reader of my own age (outside of my girlfriend, who I introduced to the topic) in the LCS - it was legitimately surprising.