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Study: Male Readers Unfazed by Female Protagonists

2/2/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Federica Bologna of Cornell University led a study that found the gender of a protagonist does not significantly affect male readers' interest.
Women preferred stories with female characters 77% of the time.
Bologna argues that publishers may be limiting diversity by assuming men won't read about women.
Bologna advocates for more varied character representation in literature and other media to better engage all readers.

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Story summary

Federica Bologna of Cornell University led a study that found the gender of a protagonist does not significantly affect male readers' interest.
Women preferred stories with female characters 77% of the time.
Bologna argues that publishers may be limiting diversity by assuming men won't read about women.
Bologna advocates for more varied character representation in literature and other media to better engage all readers.