Women Read More Than Men
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
The more culturally aggressive nature of the female half of the population is behind new statistics that show women read more than men, a book publicist said Wednesday.
Among them is 36-year-old office worker Kim Do-young, who recently started reading Murakami Haruki's latest work "1Q84."
She reads the book whenever she can - during commutes, down time at work and at home.
"It's genuinely funny, I have been waiting for this piece for quite a long time," she said. Kim reads more than 40 books a year, mostly novels, but some essays and others, too.
And, according to statistics, she is the rule, not the exception.
A survey by online recruiter, www.incruit.com, showed that of 906 salaried workers, women outnumbered men in the number of books they read by 3.9 to 2.6 per month.
About 31 percent were self-help titles, while those in the genres of classical literature, business, sociology and real estate followed.
Jung Hye-sun, a 31-year-old office worker, said reading makes her feel comfortable. After finishing the 600-page fantasy "The Book of Lost Things" by John Connolly, she has already dug out two sociology titles.
"They are funny, interesting and helpful. When you really get into them, you get to forget everything else," she said.
In contrast, some men feel reading books is feminine. "I read newspapers and magazines but rarely buy books or read them," said one man in his early 40s.
He added that television is another factor blocking his reading habits.
Lim Soo-jung, a publicist for online book retailer yes24, said women are more aggressive in cultural activities and shopping for books is one such area.
"Just like men are crazy about sports, women love to read books," she said.
Women in their 20s make up 12.8 percent of annual sales, while males in the same age bracket represent 8.2 percent.
Lim added that sales received a boost last year, despite the economic crisis and the influenza A virus sweeping the globe.