With reading becoming more “popular” thanks to BookTok, it’s interesting to see that the trend is being driven primarily by women. The community reports that 97% of its demographic is made up of women.
So does this mean that men are not reading? Data actually shows that there is a gender gap when it comes to reading– a 19% point gap.
I decided to go to the source to get to the bottom of this: talking to men on Hinge to find out if they read. I had conversations with 10 men about their reading habits.
The Eligible Bachelors of Hinge:
Bachelor #1:
Bachelor 1 told me he has set the personal goal of reading the Great Books of the Western World Collection before he is 30. Currently in the middle of the Introduction collection, reading Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. Bachelor 1 explained that before COVID, he was only ready when he “had to”. This applied to the class-required readings in school. But during the pandemic, he started getting into the Epic Fantasy genre. He specifically mentioned Brandon Sanderson. He noted a shift where he started to value “self-education through literature” when it comes to reading.
Bachelor #2:
Bachelor 2 told us out front that he loves reading, the second person to reference Brandon Sanderson. He mentioned how he and his friends created book clubs to read the Stormlight series and then the Mistborn Series.
Bachelor #3:
Bachelor 3 started the conversation by saying he was reading the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Definitely the most unique title on this list. He notes he was fascinated with world religions, and this was a recommendation from a family friend. He said he was interested in “topics out of this realm of reality”. Bachelor 3 was not always interested in these topics, but he had always been drawn to odd or occultist authors and stories. He started getting into reading more in college thanks to his roommate.
He also mentioned that most of his friends do not read. When he tries to talk about reading, they don’t seem interested. He revealed he chooses not to talk about reading in front of them because they seem so uninterested. (This made me a little sad. It seemed like Bachelor 3’s friends should suck it up and at least pretend to be interested in what he has to say)
Bachelor #4:
Bachelor 4 is a George R. R. Martin lover. Currently reading Song of Ice and Fire, he mentioned being into science fiction and fantasy. He marked the start of his love for reading starting when he was young. He says it all stems from his mom reading him stories at night.
Bachelor #5:
Bachelor 5 said he usually sticks to reading manga. He said he finds himself too busy with everyday life to read traditional books like novels. He did say he had friends who read fantasy, science fiction, and romance.
Bachelor # 6:
Bachelor 6 told me he enjoyed books that focus on multiple different stories. Currently, he is reading Chasing the Scream, a book that focuses on the realities of drug addiction and the “war on drugs”. He enjoys reading as a way to learn new perspectives. He did not read a lot as a kid. Bachelor 6 revealed he only got into reading once he found more “freedom” when it came to picking his own reads. Besides reading non-fiction, he also thinks “historical fiction is dope”.
Bachelor #7:
Bachelor 7 does not read anymore. He said he gets too distracted while reading. He said it’s pretty easy for him to get distracted in general, but if it’s something that he is really interested in, then he can usually force himself to get into it.
Bachelor #8:
Bachelor 8 told me, “Unfortunately, I don’t enjoy reading”. He did start off the conversation by mansplaining the concept of reading and “language”. He had a lot to say, but he did mention how he was very interested in some author choices in writing and syntax styles. Specifically, he noted the style of Cormac McCarthy.
Bachelor #9:
Bachelor 9 told me he was currently reading The Maze Runner. (My friends and I don’t totally believe him, and took everything he proceeded to tell us with a grain of salt. He asked for a selfie in exchange for telling us his current read…) This guy told us that he wants to get into philosophical books (allegedly) because he wants to be a better person (allegedly). I’m wishing Bachelor 9 the best wherever his journey takes him
Bachelor #10:
Bachelor 10 loves nonfiction and fantasy. He claimed he is “lowkey a nerd” and is currently reading Comfort Crisis. He enjoys fantasy because he is into fnatsays role playing vidoe games like World of Warcraft. He is also a medical student and said he liked non-fiction, especially when it is related to science and “brain” stuff. He also cited his busy schedule as a reason that he doesn’t read a lot. (He also throws in that he reads after he lifts– I think he mostly wanted me to know that he works out. Thanks, Bachelor 10)
Hinge Findings
Overall, I had varying lengths of conversations with a variety of men (none of whom was Mr Right for me, but who were more than happy to help with this article). Based on my standout research methods, I found that most of these guys on Hinge, did actually told me they read. (To be fair, the data may be skewed because I specifically asked in my profile for men to tell me about their reading habits, so most of them who responded were readers.
The two most popular genres in Hinge respondents were Fantasy and Non-fiction. When reading about men’s reading tastes, Google pointed out that these are usually the two most popular genres for male readers. Hinge reflected this taste preference.
I also thought it was interesting to see quite a few men point out that they didn’t like to read before. Usually, after being spurred on by a friend, they would go on to read later in life. Usually, this is also related to having a choice in what they were reading, citing being told what to read in academic settings made them dislike reading. It seems like they get family or friends for recommendations for books.
To answer my overarching question: Yes. Some men are reading.