Why Do Women Read Romance

                 In Janice Radway's 1983 study, she set out to answer the age old question: why do so many women read romance novels and are there specific novels they are more likely to enjoy? With the help of friends, Radway was led to bookstore employee and romance novel expert Dot Evans. Evans is an expert on romance novels and every day she helps another woman find the perfect romance to enjoy. Dot's regular customers vary in their demographic data, with women of various ages, education, work history, income, marital status, parental status, and even church attendance. When a sample of Dot's customers and Dot herself were asked their primary reason as to why they read romance novels, a majority of the women overwhelmingly say that these books are an "escape" and they help them relax. But, the answer to the age old question can't be that simple, can it?

                In some way, yeah, it kind of is. These romance novels draw women away from their present surroundings that may sometimes be too much to bear. But can't TV do the same thing? According to the women Radway interviewed/surveyed, many of the women favored reading books instead because books are viewed as socially better and educational, and the women say they feel less guilty reading a book for 5 hours as opposed to watching TV for 5 hours. Dot says that romance novels help women escape from their everyday and allow the a break from the running kids to school, cleaning the house, cooking, and general catering to others. Reading books is time for women to relax and have a small amount of time to themselves, something these women desperately need. It should also be noted that some women read romance novels for the emotional relationships and a longing some women have to have one of these perfect fantasy relationships, but this reason should not overpower the other positive reasons women read romance.  

                Dot's customers know and understand that the plot of romance novels is far-fetched and imaginative, and the women say that the exaggerated romance makes it even easier to indulge and get lost in. Essentially, the farther the plot is from the women's everyday life, the more likely they are to read and like it. Dot's customers say that the reading of romance novels provides hope, pleasure, and contentment in their stressful day to day lives. When Radway asked Dot's customers what their favorite romance novels were, Radway found that nearly all the books the women listed followed a similar narrative structure, revolved around a single couple made up of a beautiful and sexually innocent woman and a strong handsome man capable of empathy and loving gestures.

                It should be important to note what kind of romance novels that Dot and her customer's don't enjoy. They don't enjoy books where the heroine of the book gets abused by men or her hero and especially don't like the books where the heroine gets abused by men and falls in love with the abuser in the end. Dot and her customer's are also not fond of sexually explicit books that have "perversions" or "promiscuity." These women do not like books that have the male hero having relations with many women; they are firm believers in the idea of one man and one woman.  A good romance novel, according to Dot and her customers, revolves around a positive relationship between the hero and heroine, a bright woman and a masculine man that isn't afraid to be emotional, and a gradually developing love between the hero and heroine.

                So, why do women read romance? It seems that the simplest and most accurate answer really is that they provide an escape from everyday reality for women who lead a busy and not so relaxing life.