Do readers' gender play a part on who their favorite characters are?

[grand old duke of stark]

For most people, it seems like gender plays only a small role, if any. As a group, you all seem exceptionally analytical, inquisitive, thoughtful about the books and characters. You seem mature readers, not the sort who choose based on something as simple as getting a crush or having a role model. When you list your favortie characters, almost all lists include characters of both sexes.

Personally, I choose based on respect, sympathy, and occasionally identification. My favorite characters are Ned, Arya, Tyrion, Varys, Brienne, and increasingly, Sandor and Jamie. Characters I dislike but relish reading about include the Machiavellians: Tywin, Roose, and Littlefinger. Oddly enough, I don't care for most of the children. But gender plays very little part in any of these choices.

[N/A]

you're basically asking if we're sexist ,which the answer to is simply yes (let me explain a little)

I'll try to use one of Mr Martin's answers to clarify

Mr Martin once said in an interview that it was difficult for him to leave the catholic church but he did and now when there's any conflict or argument involving the Catholics he finds himself always leaning and cheering for the Catholics because he used to be one

so what i mean is that deep down it's a factor especially in first encounters ,since there's always that sense of belonging in the back of your head ,which tips the scale but no by much and it gets weaker with practice of open minded arguments

[Light a wight tonight]

I can't say that I practice gender solidarity. We all bring some baggage to the discussion, but basing likes and dislikes purely on gender isn't what I do. I tend to either like or dislike female characters and be more neutral about the males. I like the Stark girls better than the boys, but Ned more than Catelyn for whatever that's worth. Dislike both King Robert and Cersei. I'm more into what the characters do or think and less about which sex they are.

[thenedstark]

I'm a male and I love Jon Snow, Davos, Arya, Theon (as Reek), Stannis, Ned Stark, Tyrion, Asha Greyjoy, Ser Barristan, Daenerys (mostly in that order). I do think one's gender and upbringing can bias your likes and dislikes when it comes to character, but then again, gender itself is a social construct. So the original question is open to debate.

[Pinkie Baelish]

I do notice that Stannis has a lot of male fans and so does Victarion, but in the wider fandom, i really dont think it matters THAT much. Stannis has a lot of female fans too. Ive seen a lot of ladies like Victarion too. (for some reason)

Victarion just oozes manliness, to the point where both women and men become pregnant just reading about his exploits.

[Winds of Winter blow cold]

These aren't children's books so the "boy's will only read stories about boys" thing doesn't apply. We like characters...or dislike them for that matter...for a whole variety of reasons.

[Old-Growth]

Victarion just oozes manliness, to the point where both women and men become pregnant just reading about his exploits.

Pregnant with what?

[Nuncle Kraken]

Pregnant with what?

Babies. Tons of babies.

[WeirwoodTreeHugger]

Pregnant with what?

Pregnant with rage? :box:

[Marion]

Victarion just oozes manliness, to the point where both women and men become pregnant just reading about his exploits.

:agree:

[Fire and Blood!]

I'd say to some extent it does.Who my favorite characters are is determined by how close they are personality wise to myself, since I'm a man it is much more likely for male characters to have a personality similar to my own.That does not mean however that I don't like the female characters Catelyn, Sansa and Arianne are amongst my favorites.

[Free Northman]

Of course it does.

I've greatly struggled to identify with female protagonists in the past, simply because my experiences are so attuned to that of a male character.

ASOIAF, however, is the first series I've ever read that subverted that trend for me, with Martin writing a female character so amazing that she is my favourite character in the entire series. That being Arya, of course. I actually skim read other chapters to get to her scenes, and when rereading, hers are the chapters I've revisited most often.

I haven't tried to analyze how Martin achieved this, but Arya is just an amazingly enjoyable character to read about, and you just want more of her each time her chapter ends.

So Martin succeeded in breaking new ground for me in this area, and I applaud him for it.

[lifefullofwords]

I think my experiences as a woman do influence the way I see characters, as do my experiences as a white person, as an American, as someone living in the 21st century... I'll stop there because this list could go on for a while. My point is that to some extent we're all the product of our environment and our experiences. Gender roles may be constructed but they're also a very real part of who we are. That's not just true for gender, though, but for any socially constructed group (race is another good example).

That said, I like male characters just as much as I do female characters. My favorite major characters are Dany, Jon, Sam, Sansa, Brienne, and Jaime. Of the characters on that list, I find Dany and Sam to be the most relatable (i.e. I have things in common with both of them). I wouldn't call them favorites I'm also fascinated by Littlefinger and Cersei.

I will say that I tend to dislike characters who treat women like shit. That's a big part of why Tyrion is my least favorite major character, although there are many other reasons. But that's more of an issue of unfavorites rather than favorites.

[Old-Growth]

Pregnant with rage? :box:

That's more like it :)

[Thorion2]

8'm inclined to say 'no'. Tyrion and Arya are my two favorites and they're both genders.

[Winter's Knight]

I don't know? I tend to, in general, like female and queer characters more. My favourite characters are Sansa, Brienne, Dany,Renly, Courtney Pemrose, Loras, Margery, Sam and Dunk.

Eta and Cersei.

[Pinkie Baelish]

Pregnant with what?

Babies that will eventually grow up to become killing machines ;)

I personally tend to prefer the darker, more conflicted, morally ambiguous characters(Tyrion, Jaime, Arya), as I find them more interesting than just clear-cut good guys or bad guys. And coincidentally, most of these darker characters in the series are male, so I have a lot more men in my favourite characters than women. I can only speak for myself in this issue; I'm sure other readers have different reasons, should they prefer characters of a certain gender.

[The Wolves]

I honestly don't know OP but I as a female like males in this story more but I sympathize with Catelyn more than any character and I don't like her at all. I love Ned and Jon more than any character and Robb, Bran, and Rickon are there also and I adore Sansa and Arya. I love Dany but I can't stand Brienne and I hate Cersei. Jamie and Tywin are my most hated characters though so I guess it depends for me.

[Free Northman]

Babies that will eventually grow up to become killing machines ;)

I personally tend to prefer the darker, more conflicted, morally ambiguous characters(Tyrion, Jaime, Arya), as I find them more interesting than just clear-cut good guys or bad guys. And coincidentally, most of these darker characters in the series are men, so I have a lot more men in my favourite characters than women.

You know, I think the converse is true for me. I struggle to find men in the series I look forward to reading about, simply because I can't find the good, heroic but badass character type that I long for. The guy who fights for the cause of good, but who is at the same time a badass smiting the evil ones if they get in his way.

In this series the good characters tend to be depicted as weaklings, and the bad asses are depicted as monsters, like Victarrion, Bron, the Hound etc.

Where's Druss the Legend, striding through the kingdoms, slaying brigands and dishing out awesome violence on the evil hearted? Nope. Instead you get good Ned Stark, whose head gets chopped off for being good, etc.

Arya is the closest to the type of character that's usually the star of the books that I enjoy. And she's a 10 year old little girl. What a feat, by Martin.

[Winter's Knight]

Pregnant with what?

Krawkens.