Dad Bloggers Will Always Be the Minority
As a Dad blogger I often read how we are always in the minority in the blogging world and in truth I really don’t see that changing any time soon. I don’t know the exact stats, but I would imagine for every dad that starts a blog there are numerous mum’s starting a blog, but this all got me to and I wonder why?
Why is the blogging world so heavily dominated by women? Are mum’s/women better writers than dads/men? Is the blogging audience predominantly women who only want to read other women’s blogs?
I personally have read great blogs by men and women, and equally I have read rubbish by men and women, so I don’t think it’s the fact that women are better writers than men. I also read equally men and women’s blogs and my audience is probably of equal gender readership
I have been wondering for a while what stops dads from blogging and I can draw on my own personal experience when I started blogging just over two years ago. My initials thoughts were who is going to be interested in my ramblings of being a dad and any other topics I may write upon? I was not confident it would be of any interest to anybody and always questioned how deep into my memories I should go.
The question I asked myself was, as a man we are almost brainwashed from childhood to not show emotion, not to cry and under no circumstances show weakness or divulge any problems you may have to anybody, keep them to yourselves. Is this what’s stops dads/men from writing a blog? I guess it probably does sometimes. I imagine for fear of being ridiculed by family and friends. This I’m sure would put a lot of dads off from starting a blog.
Mum’s/women have what I call an inbuilt support mechanism for their gender. That if they have a problem there is always another mum to listen to and possibly offer advice on any issues they may have, and this is particularly revelant to motherhood. I can’t remember if I have ever heard dads talking about baby problems in real life. On line you will see it, but even then it’s limited.
There is no doubt that dad bloggers will stay in the minority, but I feel we are growing. 2016 definitely saw an increase in the amount of dad bloggers. Nowadays the likes of Dadventurer (Dave Hornby), and Dad Blog UK (John Adams) amongst other many high profile dad bloggers are leading the way and giving dad bloggers a higher profile which we need if we are going to be a credible force within the blogging world.
I am personally very guilty of not attending blogging conferences, but one of my aims this year is to attend at least one so that I can increase the numbers of dad bloggers by at least one!
I would love to know what you think. Why do you think mum bloggers are the majority and dad bloggers the minority ?
13 Comments
Alan herbert
January 10, 2017 at 1:27 am
I’d guess it’s also due to the fact that men as the primary carer for the children are still a minority.
I know there are a few like yourself who somehow manage to work, blog and Dad.
With the amount of work involved in maintaining a blog I’d guess they don’t have the time, or they do blog but in other fields. Tech, sports etc.
Thought provoking post Nigel.
Luke
January 10, 2017 at 8:03 am
Couldn’t agree more with the above..I think that most men don’t open up at all about emotions..blogs are all about emotions, feelings. It’s in us all, so hopefully this year will see an increase in more men being involved. Great post Nigel x
David
January 10, 2017 at 9:25 am
Nice post, Nige. I would think there are less dads blogging for numerous reasons, some of which you have mentioned. I also agree with Alan, above, when he says that lots of men bloggers might be blogging in other fields. My main worry about blogging was what my mates might think. Some have been supportive others just don’t get the parenting angle. It’s not macho enough for some of them. But, like you, I’m comfortable blogging from a dad’s perspective.
The DADventurer (Dave)
January 10, 2017 at 3:22 pm
Thanks for the mention mate – that was a surprise when reading the post! Based on Tots100 numbers, there are 10,000 people on their index and 7% are men. So, 700 blokes is a relatively big group when you look at it in isolation, but it is still dwarfed by mums. I think you’ve touched on some of the reasons, plus I think time is a big one – still, it’s mainly mums at home and dads at work (in general). Either way, it’s good to see more dad bloggers around and that we’re all doing our bit to show dads are capable etc.
Kevin
January 10, 2017 at 7:17 pm
Absolutely spot on. I guess it is because dads don’t typically get as much time at home with their little ones. I’m lucky that I will get 6 weeks of paid leave as my son approaches 1 year. I am really looking forward to that!
Rach
January 11, 2017 at 9:13 am
This is an interesting post. Although I’m not a parent blogger I follow a lot of parent bloggers, mainly Mums. But I also follow a lot of Dad’s too and I love reading the male perspective. I’m not sure why there are more women than men doing the blogging, perhaps women enjoy writing more than men…I’m really not sure. However, you’ve raised a good discussion here. #bestandworst
moneycorgi
January 11, 2017 at 10:18 pm
There’s probably gender biases in all the blogging topics.
Men blog about tech/sports/finance and women blog about fashion/children/baking
I wonder what the numbers say if you combine all the blog genres. Would it be a 50/50 split?
Helen Gandy
January 12, 2017 at 12:22 pm
Interesting, possibly because Mums are on mat leave or working part time? I’ve never really thought but I love reading Dad blogs as it gives a whole new perspective on everything and that is really refreshing. Thanks for linking up Nige! #bestandworst
jeremy@thirstydaddy
January 12, 2017 at 1:57 pm
I think its a self-perpetuating thing. Since there are less dad blogs out there for people to read, its less likely to cross a dad’s mind “hey, I’m going to start a blog.” Before somebody starting talking to me about it, I had no idea this whole world existed
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[…] Dad Bloggers will Always be the Minority – DIY Daddy We’re trying, but it’s hard to even out the numbers. Why aren’t there more Dad Bloggers? […]
Mimi Rose & Me
January 12, 2017 at 10:00 pm
Very interesting post. I think it’s probably because generally more stay at home parents are women. That and the fact that they are more likely to be on maternity leave or work part time. I love reading dad blogs, it’s so refreshing to read from a different perspective!
Mimi Rose & Me
January 12, 2017 at 10:00 pm
Very interesting post. I think it’s probably because generally more stay at home parents are women. That and the fact that they are more likely to be on maternity leave or work part time. I love reading dad blogs, it’s so refreshing to read from a different perspective!
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