Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi says women face barriers in the publishing industry

Women are not well represented within the publishing industry, according to a keynote address by Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.

Speaking on Tuesday as part of an event by PublisHer, an organisation she founded to advocate for greater equality and diversity within the industry, Sheikha Bodour said not enough is being done to address a gender imbalance within the sector.

“We need to keep up the pressure for more equity and more diversity,” she said, ahead of International Women’s Day on Wednesday.

“Unfortunately, there are some outdated and persistent challenges that stem from a certain mindset and outdated practices, and it continues to amaze me that we still have to make the case and fight for balance within the publishing industry and to give more female publishers the chance to lead and make a difference.”

Sheikha Bodour says the publishing industry needs a concerted push to be more in line with "the mainstream".

This includes the creation and support of more initiatives, such as the recent announcement of a women’s non-fiction writing award launched by The Women’s Prize Trust in the UK, and professional development and networking opportunities.

“Female publishers have been given the wrong instrument all along, and despite playing to the full extent of our potential, it's not enough, especially that we're not playing in an even field,” she said.

“So we have to continue playing, but just as critically, we have to continue trying to change the instruments and ask for the right conditions and environment to grow and prosper.”

Between reality and fiction

To mark International Women’s Day at the book fair, PublishHer hosted an exhibition of international children’s literature titles by female authors in addition to a two-day conference featuring publishers from around the world.

Appearing in a session looking at the “status quo” within the sector, Italian publishers said that historically, women were under represented in the local industry.

"There was a recent event in Milan discussing women in publishing in the 20th century and we realised how they only played a marginal role," said Mariagrazia Mazzitelli, editorial director of Salani.

"My mother-in-law, for example, was a great editor, but when she had her children, she stayed home and worked from there.

“Because of some of these conditions, we found it very hard to reconstruct a history of female Italians in publishing."

Monica Martinelli, founder of Settenove Edizioni, a publisher of picture books addressing discrimination and gender violence, says a radical shake up is needed when it comes to how women are represented in both stories and illustrations.

"Publishing ultimately reflects what is happening in society.

“One of the biggest problems both children's books and all aspects of children's education have is that women are represented purely through values and actions that are thought to belong to them,” she says.

An example of this is how women are often mainly given the role of the caretaker in these books or, for example, illustrations that show her smiling while she multitasks at home.

“Not all women are happy when they are doing so many different things at once because they are often in a situation where they had no choice but to do so.

“We should show the reality in that women can also be tired, have negative emotions and feel that life can also be a struggle at times."

Striking that balance is no easy feat, says Beatrice Masini, editorial director of Italianpublishing house Bompiani.

"What I find a little problematic is the notion of an 'issues book,' in which the authors sit down and decide what issues to raise in the book before creating the story," she says.

"It immediately loses its authenticity. Those issues should spring naturally from the story to make it more impactful."

Another way to achieve more realistic tales, Martinelli argues, is to encourage more writers and illustrators to lend their talent to other art forms.

"It will help them confront another reality," she says. "To step outside the box they will have new experiences which they can use when it comes to sharing their ideas, vision and style."

More information is available at bolognachildrensbookfair.com