Men to Women Ratio in a story

Discussion in 'Author Discussions' started by Waiting_to_Isekai_Into_A_Novel, Feb 16, 2022.

  1. Feng Tian

    Feng Tian Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2018
    Messages:
    966
    Likes Received:
    779
    Reading List:
    Link
    Globally that is. Regional differences can be quite significant. Most western countries have more women while China leans towards men.

    Ultimately there are way too many factors to give a detailed answer. The others have pointed that out quite well. And thats assuming we don't do high fantasy where all-female species aren't unheared of. One of my settings has a species with a 3 to 1 ratio. Had to invent an entire society because of that. Definitely not something I would recommend to lazy people like myself.
     
  2. mq003at

    mq003at Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 14, 2018
    Messages:
    16
    Likes Received:
    4
    Reading List:
    Link
    The point is, it is depending on what kind of story you are writing and how the plot develops. Do not think about the ratio, but instead think about 'is it better to put male instead of female to make the plot progresses?'

    For example, your MC needs someone to save from the enemy fortress, is it better that he is a man, or a woman? It can be both! If you put the victim as male, then the reason why MC has to rescue because he impressed of that guy achievement, and if he loses a hero like that, his quest will be harder from now on (heroic route). If you put the victim as female, then the reason why MC has to rescue is because she is too beautiful, and our MC has a love as first sight or something (drama route).

    Obviously, you can reverse what I said and it will work fine if you can make it fit to the story. Otherwise, you can have a bit of brainstorming and think of many other routes for the MC to follow.

    And if you have a harem, then the ratio of female:male should be larger than 3:1.
     
  3. Nancy Drew

    Nancy Drew Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2021
    Messages:
    147
    Likes Received:
    125
    Reading List:
    Link
    I'm a woman, but I usually don't like female characters. I like action comedies where there are a lot of male characters and one or two female characters.
     
  4. AliceShiki

    AliceShiki 『Ms. Tree』『Magical Girl of Love and Justice』

    Joined:
    Apr 27, 2016
    Messages:
    24,647
    Likes Received:
    98,366
    Reading List:
    Link
    I'm super late to the party, but I think you shouldn't worry too much about it.

    To give a personal example, I just ain't very good at writing male characters... They tend to come out bland.

    So, what do I do? I make it so that almost all (or all, that's fine too) characters in the novel are women... Simply because I think I can deliver a better story like that.

    Sure, if I need a male character for any reason, I'll make a male character... But on any other occasion, I'll just make everyone a girl, because I can write better like that.

    Basically, I write in a way that plays into my strengths. No need to force yourself out of your comfort zone. Go out of it when needed~
     
  5. LuciferMorningstar365

    LuciferMorningstar365 Member

    Joined:
    Apr 23, 2022
    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    6
    Reading List:
    Link
    If you are creating a fictional world where magic/cultivation exist, then the structure and peculiarities of that system will determine how balanced the male to female ratio needs to be.

    If romance is at the center of your story, then the sexuality of your characters will determine how the ratio shapes up. Ultimately, fictional stories can be whatever the author wants. Look at the comic Y the last man.

    Plenty of authors subvert our expectations with regards to traditional male-female roles in their stories. Ultimately magic/cultivation are anti-science and anti-biological determinism. You can mirror our reality in your story but then you must provide reasons why disparities in combat abilities exist in a world of magic/spiritual qi.
     
  6. Kaylee

    Kaylee Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2019
    Messages:
    2,383
    Likes Received:
    1,896
    Reading List:
    Link
    I think, each genders have their own difficulty and privilege depending on the world setting.
     
  7. melomarl

    melomarl Burning Red

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2019
    Messages:
    1,559
    Likes Received:
    15,024
    Reading List:
    Link
    Late and I didn't read the whole thread so someone prolly said this already but I'll still give my opinions.

    1. Base it on your world building. Let's say the MC lives in a male-dominant environment and you want females to shine through then you'd have to consider how many major characters are female and male.

    2. Based on your target audience. I write romance stories for girls who are in their late-teens to let's say, uni age. (Some moms like it tho) so I make sure to spice it up with a few more male characters they could gush about or they could hate. No particular ratio here.

    Another example is a BL story would have more male characters, unsurprisingly. Vice versa for GL.

    3. Use your instincts. If you feel like a certain character should be complemented with another, ask yourself what would be the best choice. For example, should the Head Butler (a side character from an Isekai world) be offset with a Head Maid? Should they have some funny banters and always compete for the master's praises? Cliche example but it's on the top of my head.

    4. Don't be unreasonable. This doesn't apply to characters' gender. Character placements should be reasonable for the plot. Don't suddenly put an overwhelming person of this gender if the setting is dominated by another gender (doesn't apply to regular setting). Make sure the backstory is believable and at least, logical.

    Well, unless you write about heaven-defying characters who don't need logic.

    :blobpeek::blobpeek: I don't think they're hard to find