By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

History tells us that if you're reading this column, or anything in this particular section of the newspaper, chances are very good that you're a woman.

Don't take this the wrong way.

Because of the type of content associated with feature sections like Island Life — i.e., entertainment, health, food, art, celebrity gossip, etc. — the perception, backed by periodic demographic studies, is that readership of these sections skews heavily female.

The split isn't quite as pronounced as it is with sports sections, which generally attract way more men than women.

Anecdotal evidence seems to back this up. I get 20 to 200 calls and e-mails from readers each week. At least two-thirds of them are from women or, in the case of e-mail, from people who identify themselves as women. (Granted, I'm not quite sure whether it's Mr. or Ms. "You're (sic) Worst Nightmare.")

Like at most other newspapers, the people who work in these sections reflect their readerships. The sports staff is almost entirely male; our section is largely female.

This means that on UH football Saturdays, the sports section's food table is filled with 100 pounds of meat and carbs, while in Island Life, we celebrate birthdays, holidays, new haircuts and days ending with "Y" with obscene amounts of chocolate.

Having worked in both the sports and feature sections, I feel a bit like Tiresias, that old Greek who gained wisdom by living life both as a man and a woman — only without the wisdom part.

I remember the reaction from my guy friends when I first moved to Island Life after 12 years of writing sports. They noticed my byline missing from the sports pages and sadly assumed I'd been fired. (Mind you, these are the same people who refer to the rest of the paper as "sports wrapper.")

The mood turned downright funereal when I told them I'd only been reassigned.

"The chick section?" my buddy Dave said incredulously. "Dude, I'm so sorry."

The reaction was quite the opposite with my women friends — a few of whom were unaware that I wrote for the paper at all. They'd never read a word I wrote about, say, the Lakers, but were thrilled that I'd be reviewing the new Harry Potter movie.

The family is no different. At our infrequent gatherings, the uncles gather around my brother the sports reporter to talk UH football while the aunts smile kindly and say nice things about my gripping piece on family day at the museum.

In recent years, papers like the Advertiser have made an effort to diversify their sections by addressing a broader range of subjects that appeal to both sexes. Thus, Island Life has become home to a computer and technology section, more stories geared toward male interests like outdoor recreation or home improvement, and, of course, these About Men/About Women columns.

Does anyone notice? Does anyone care?

I'll take your e-mails now, ladies.

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-2461.