Let’s Talk Bookish: Do You Prefer Male or Female Protagonists?

Hey, everyone! I hope you’re all doing well. It’s been a pretty busy week for me, but I’m happy to say that I was able to complete this post on time and share it with you all. So, without further ado, let’s get into it!

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @ Eternity Books and is hosted by Rukky and Dani @ Literary Lion where we discuss various topics and share our opinions. Today’s topic is Do You Prefer Male or Female Protagonists? (suggested by Mahitha @ Amateur Teen Writer).

When it comes to books, do you prefer male or female protagonists and why? Do you not have a preference?

I don’t think I have a preference when it comes to protagonists. It’s definitely not something I think about when choosing a book to read. However, I do tend to pick up more books that have female protagonists. I think it’s because, since I’m a female, I can connect with them better than I can with male protagonists. I love reading both though! This year, I’ve read 34 books; 15 of them have had female protagonists, 9 have had male protagonists, and 10 have had multiple protagonists, with multiple genders. That’s not too big of a ratio, but I certainly sway more towards female protagonists.

Have you ever not read a book because the protagonist was male/female?

I don’t usually care what gender the protagonist is. I’ll base whether I want to read the book or not off the synopsis. There are some books where I wish we had an additional point of view from a different perspective, sometimes of the different gender. However, usually, the book really fits well with the original protagonist and I think gender plays a role in that. The synopsis of the book and what happens conforms with the protagonist and sometimes, whatever gender the protagonist is determines some of what happens.

Do you think it’s important for children to read protagonists of the opposite gender from them?

Yes, I do. I think it’s important for children to see different perspectives and points of view. It can help you understand the other gender and empathize with them for whatever they’re going through. It also allows kids to be able to envision people of different genders as the hero or main character of a story. If someone has only read books with female protagonists, they may have a harder time envisioning the hero as a male or other gender. There are male and female protagonists in some of my favorite books, such as The Starless Sea (Zachary) and Under a Painted Sky (Samantha).

Do you feel like certain genres have more of a certain gender of protagonist than the other?

I feel like the romance genre has more female protagonists than male protagonists. There’s still quite a few male protagonists in romance books, but I feel like I see more females than males. Or I just read more romance books with female protagonists. Other genres, like fantasy and sci-fi, are more even. Some fantasy books I read have a female protagonist and then important side characters who are male, or vice versa.

Conclusion

I don’t really have a preference when it comes to protagonists in books. I usually read more books with female protagonists; however, I still enjoy both.

What do you think about male or female protagonists? Do you have a preference?
Chat with me in the comments below!