You probably read about the recent controversy over gender specific pages on Wikipedia after it was discovered that the site had created a separate category of American Women Novelists.
Amanda Filipacchi was right to highlight this as an illustration of sexist attitudes; arguing that novels by women should not be viewed as a genre category.
It appears the Wikipedia back- peddled quickly as a damage limitation exercise.
I have always been convinced that there was nothing to gain from distinguishing between male and female contributions to the world of music, films, art and literature.
My view is that these creative works should be judged on their own merits without reference to gender. Continue reading
