| Back to Home > Bulletin Board > Media Issues > Topic: Wondering--why are so many freelancers women? |
Topic: Wondering--why are so many freelancers women?
| Author | Message |
| mytype | Posted – 8/19/2008 11:15:41 PM | show profile Just curious as to what ppl think. At mb and other groups, the majority of freelancers are women. |
| writerchic | Posted – 8/19/2008 11:33:05 PM | show profile Kid-friendly For me, freelance writing is conducive for women who stay at home with their kids. I suspect that many other women on this board would agree. If you can write, this is an ideal home-based business in which you can work pretty much on your own schedule. |
| wineaux | Posted – 8/20/2008 12:12:05 AM | show profile I am a freelancer b/c it enables my schedule to be more flexible for my children. I am able to walk them to the bus-stop, pick them up at the end of the day, take them to their various activities, be involved in their school and take a day or half a day off when necessary, should they get sick or something else comes up. The husband works insane hours, and travels a great deal, so I need to have a more flexible schedule to deal w/ the children. Freelancing is an ideal alternative for someone like me. I feel very fortunate to find steady work and great paying work. Albeit from many different sources, and often on the short term. I tried doing part-time gigs at mags, publicity and in PR, and it still didn't allow me the freedom that I now have. |
| Seafarer | Posted – 8/20/2008 12:18:51 AM | show profile | email poster Hmmm.... Not sure what stats show that most freelancers are women, but I'll go with it to posit my personal theories, pulled out of my left ear with one glass of wine, mind you: 1) Many men perhaps feel that society expects them to be good providers. Freelancing is often quite precarious, so it's seen as too risky for those with households to support. 2) Many men perhaps like structure. They like knowing who is the boss, the "alpha male," and having clear organizational wire diagrams in their work, with a clear path to the top. Women are maybe less wedded to the status quo, because what's the status quo ever done for them? What's the upside to being an "Organization Man," if you will? Killing yourself playing the game, only to hit a glass ceiling? We're outta there.... Going out on your own is scary, risky and often not terribly prestigious. There is no one to tell you that you're great, especially in the beginning, and no way to prove you're a success except by a pile of clips. Does this scare men off from freelancing? Dunno.... Hopefully a guy will weigh in here. ------ My Web site Family Travel blog NHRA drag racing on Fast Machines |
| ManhattanMatt | Posted – 8/20/2008 12:21:47 AM | show profile Because ... ... unless you've managed to parlay freelancing into a viable solid income, the only people who can afford to be freelancers are women who are married to men with full-time jobs. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 8/20/2008 1:01:59 AM | show profile I've never seen any studies that indicate the male/female break down of freelance writers. i know lots of male freelancers. Based on my personal experience, I don't jump to the conclusion that freelancers are disproportionately female. |
| abqwriter | Posted – 8/20/2008 1:02:48 AM | show profile | email poster I make more money now freelancing from home than I ever did working as a teacher or in retail sales, and it allows me the freedom to volunteer in my kids' schools, in the community, and be here when my kids walk in the door. When I had a toddler at home, I was able to work very part-time and still feel like I had a brain without sacrificing the few years I had before my last went off to school. |
| WordyBird | Posted – 8/20/2008 10:51:48 AM | show profile In addition to what the others have said, I'll add that publishing in general is a "pink collar" industry, so there are more women in it to begin with. |
| Mag Girl | Posted – 8/20/2008 11:08:26 AM | show profile Manhattanmatt, that's just not true. The only full-time freelancers I know personally are single women, never married. |
| Canadiana | Posted – 8/20/2008 11:23:55 AM | show profile I do have two small children and that's a big part of why I freelance. But, I also have a background in media, an interest in writing and make almost as much money as my husband with waaayy more flexibility and diversity. That said, when money's tight (not often these days), it's nice to know that my husband has a steady paycheque. |
| wineaux | Posted – 8/20/2008 11:30:02 AM | show profile I should add that a technical writer and a designer whom I have used in the past as a consultants. They are both full time freelancers and male. Judging by what we had to pay them, and how often they have a large amount of clients, I imagine they both make well over six figures. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 8/20/2008 12:18:05 PM | show profile Well, I think a lot of people contributing to this post think of freelancers as people who are scrambling to get $100 or $200 assignments. It's nearly impossible to support yourself as a freelancer on the low end of the editorial spectrum. If you can't move past that pretty quickly, you'll probably get a full-time job as soon as you can. I know only one freelancer who makes six figures from editorial (he's doing $5,000-$10,000 articles for top magazines). The big earnings tend to be copywriters, who are producing $5,000 white papers and $3,000 case studies. I make most of my living from that type of stuff, and comparatively little from the 10 or 20 magazine pieces I write a year. --I should add that a technical writer and a designer whom I have used in the past as a consultants. They are both full time freelancers and male. Judging by what we had to pay them, and how often they have a large amount of clients, I imagine they both make well over six figures.-- |
| editordebit | Posted – 8/20/2008 12:51:58 PM | show profile Why wouldn't men who were married to women with full-time jobs be in just as good a position to freelance? I can think of a bunch of couples like that -- the wives are doctors, lawyers, administrators, etc., and the husbands work from home for various clients. I also think it may be the case that women are more likely to say "I freelance" and men are more likely to say "I have my own consulting business" ;-) I would hate to be chasing $100 or $200 projects, though if they fell in my lap along the way, that would be fine. Most of the projects I do are into four figures (not, alas, very far in), so it doesn't take that many per month to start looking like a real income. |
| mytype | Posted – 8/20/2008 1:02:32 PM | show profile Thanks for feedback. I'm a woman who has been a f/t freelancer for last two years (after newspaper staff jobs, etc). My bread-and-butter client cut its freelance budget, so I'm regrouping. (Unfortunately, my other clients are undergoing same pressures.) Guess I'm realizing now how many freelancers are just supplementing their incomes or dabbling in writing, despite appearing to be successful writers. I recently met a syndicated columnist who doesn't get a dime for writing her stories--which blew my mind. (Assume hubby is breadwinner.) Another freelancer for a big name mag confided the low pay she was getting for her story. I got impression she came from a privileged background. Guess I'm wondering what I got myself into with freelancing! |
| wineaux | Posted – 8/20/2008 1:50:02 PM | show profile myt: I started out on the low end of the spectrum, writing for mags and local rags ($100 to $300 per article). I think it would be next to impossible to garner a full-time freelance career out of that. I don't think a person could sleep writing the amount of articles in smaller pubs it would take to pay the bills. I decided to go on a more private route, carving my niche as a food and beverage writer. I now primarily write for the natural foods industry and usually do projects that last a few months to indefinately and have a respectable hourly or per-project rate. Much of my work has come from networking, and referral. And, I joined a consultancy group in my area that occasionally throws me work. Sometimes it's in my specailty, and occasionally it's something else entirely. I think the key (at least in my experience) has been to find what you are most passionate about, get some basic clips in that area, then start networking in your field of interest. The first articles I wrote about in my industry were in local papers. I used those clips as a springboard to approach companies that needed web site content, marketing and advertising materials. It has worked well for me. I could work full-time in my niche if I had the time. I hope to, once my children are older. But, for the time being, I have made a decent part-time living doing what I love. I think it is interesting what someone else mentioned about how men often don't use the term freelancer, but opt for calling themselves consultants. Both of the men I mentioned that I have worked with say they are consultants, and one of them suggested to me that I change my business cards to say "Marketing Consultant". I'm considering it, as it seems the term freelancer has negative meanings in some people's minds. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 8/20/2008 2:21:11 PM | show profile It's not just the connotations. It's how you present yourself. A "freelance writer" is selling words. A "consultant/freelance writer" is also providing guidance and strategy. Obviously, this is in corporate writing, not editorial. --I think it is interesting what someone else mentioned about how men often don't use the term freelancer, but opt for calling themselves consultants. Both of the men I mentioned that I have worked with say they are consultants, and one of them suggested to me that I change my business cards to say "Marketing Consultant". I'm considering it, as it seems the term freelancer has negative meanings in some people's minds.-- |
| writesonwater | Posted – 8/22/2008 2:39:19 AM | show profile | email poster My apologies in advance for any stereotypes I may be perpetuating here. Manhattan Matt is right about one thing -- it can be hard to get going in freelancing without having one breadwinner in the family, the husband. But somehow when some people present this, they end up sounding faintly resentful -- like women are leeching off men or something. Fact is, to do the family thing these days, unless both parties have steady, big salaries that allow for a nanny (two docs or lawyers or CEOs, for example), very often one party needs to be able to juggle better. Having kids, getting them to school, being freer to move when the BIG BREADWINNER gets a job (easier than finding two breadwinners a job sometimes). Because of this juggling, some people never catch up with their careers - in and out of the workforce isn't the best on the resume. Freelancing can help to bridge the gap and provide career continuity, such as it is. One thing to consider as to the majority of posters -- in general I believe women are more likely to use friendly, non-snarky, social media like MB, because in general we are more likely to crave, seek out and utilize social connections. In general, we are more likely to strike up a conversation on a bus or a plane or in a line at the grocery store other than for sales/networking purposes. |
| mkelly | Posted – 8/22/2008 10:04:32 AM | show profile This is an excellent discussion thread. While I've never done or seen a census of freelancers, my gut tells me it is majority-female-- although I think the gender balance can differ greatly depending on the subject at hand. (That is, I suspect science or technology magazines are majority-male written.) Why majority female? Because, as many women here have noted, the lifestyle can be very child-friendly if you have another breadwinner with health insurance. As to whether 'freelancer' is a stigma-- well, the name is what it is. I freelanced for five years, and by the last three made a very comfortable salary and cracked $100,000 in 2005. If folks want to look at me funny because 'oh, he can't find a full-time job' while I'm taking five weeks' vacation, working 35 hours a week and spending 15 of them filing copy from my laptop while I sit on the porch-- hey, look at me funny all you want. |
| Metro Writer | Posted – 8/22/2008 12:11:05 PM | show profile A lot of good points were on this thread. I want to add that my family needs the group medical insurance that often comes along with a conventional full-time job. It's non-writers (men and women) who are not employed full-time who call themselves consultants. I don't identify myself as a freelance writer because non-writers tend to connote freelance with free spirit, flake, hobbyist, etc. I call myself a journalist, even if the lion's share of my income comes from writing copy. It's similar to an actor who waits on tables to pay the rent. As soon as he gets something in his field, he'll drop the plates. |
| mytype | Posted – 8/22/2008 1:34:23 PM | show profile this is probably worthy of another thread, but what kind of work generates six-figure incomes? i guess i never considered white papers, ad copy, etc., as freelance writing--more marketing or something. (i have a journalism background.) i've assumed some writers are exaggerating their incomes, but maybe i'm wrong. and i need to get some of that $$ action! |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 8/22/2008 1:54:23 PM | show profile --this is probably worthy of another thread, but what kind of work generates six-figure incomes? i guess i never considered white papers, ad copy, etc., as freelance writing--more marketing or something. (i have a journalism background.) i've assumed some writers are exaggerating their incomes, but maybe i'm wrong. and i need to get some of that $$ action!-- To generate a six-figure income you need to average $2,000 a week or $400 a day. Of course, that means if you don't make $400 one day, you need to make $800 the next day. As a general rule, I target work that pays me at least $100 an hour or $1,000 per day, knowing I won't be billing out every hour of every week. So you need a stream of good-paying work and clients who will come to you with work. I know very few freelance journalists who make a six-figure income unless they are (1) writing for top publications where they are getting at least $5,000 per story or (2) doing a lot of $1 a word trade magazine work were editors are coming to them with assignments. I don't know any freelance journalists who are making 6 figures pitching articles at moderate-paying publications. It would be very hard, in my mind, to make a 6-figure earning if you are generating most of your own story ideas, because it would be difficult to generate and sell enough pieces. Most of the higher paid freelancers I know do some journalism work, but more copywriting -- white papers, advertorials, case studies and the like. Yes, this is marketing writing rather than journalism. I do the occasional $1,500 magazine profile but most of my income comes from bigger corporate projects, such as $3,000-7,000 white papers. |
| mkelly | Posted – 8/22/2008 2:40:32 PM | show profile I was doing a lot of $1 per word assignments from trade magazines, two in particular that gave me long-term steady work with assignments due almost weekly. I also did some copy-writing for corporations (especially case-studies, where very few people know how to write them well) and some behind-the-scenes PR work. I should add, I did all this in the last year of my freelancing stint, when I cracked $100,000. I made less than half that my first few years. I do not know that I could return to that level of income as a freelancer today, given the economy. |
| mytype | Posted – 8/22/2008 5:10:58 PM | show profile thanks--this is helpful to know. |
| abqwriter | Posted – 8/22/2008 5:55:29 PM | show profile Yes - the marketing-based writing pays much better, but I do find it tedious. That type of work (at least mine) pays $150 - $200 / hour - more than I was paid per piece when I was freelancing for the business editor of our local paper. I've taken on a lot more of it while my husband gets his second start-up off the ground, but I have to say I don't enjoy the writing as much. It's not just dealing with the clients (along with the editor); it's feeling that the work produced is of lesser quality because of the client having so much say in the final product. I console myself with the fact that the pay is good and my name isn't anywhere for the public to see. |
| mytype | Posted – 8/22/2008 7:03:58 PM | show profile wow--any free advice about how to cultivate clients would be appreciated! or maybe there's a thread somewhere else.... |
