Recipes and romance

For about two weeks I had been practising restraint from commenting on adverts in the local print media suggesting what books to buy for mothers on Mother's Day. I conducted a small survey which confirmed what I had been observing. Ninety per cent of the books advertised were a mixture of recipe books, love stories, fitness stuff and "magical solutions" to women's problems. The proverbial last straw came when my 10-year-old son spent all his pocket money on a silly book advertised as "the ideal present for mother". Good thing he had the sense to keep the receipt so that I could exchange the book if I didn't like it.

For how long will we let ourselves be carried by the current of media hype and brain-washing? We surely cannot expect things to change while remaining passive. No amount of complaining and highlighting of issues will change culture unless this is accompanied by education and action.

The aforementioned adverts were promoting books to be bought by children, teenagers and adults alike, for their mothers on Mother's Day. Surely I have nothing against recipe books; I have loads of them and they are an indispensable tool in my kitchen. And, who may regard with disdain people who want to read the work of authors who make a mint out of churning out one romance paperback after the other? If people are buying this genre it is because they must enjoy reading it and no literature police have a right to spoil that fun and the good business.

However, why encourage the pigeonholing of women in a category as the people interested in recipe books, love stories, magic solutions and all that stuff? Why condition children who go to the bookshop to get their mother a present that this kind of literature is what "mother is most likely to prefer"? It is the way in which we are perpetuating the culture that this is the only women's stuff, and its unintended consequences, which we ought to think about.

One book, prominently advertised for Mother's Day, was actually about asking the advice of angels when one has a problem.

All you do is hold the closed book, shut your eyes, send your question out into the universe and wait... whichever number between 1 and 174 first comes to you, open that page and study the message on it. This is your answer. The prospective buyer is enticed to "Ask the angels for advice whenever you need to". Sad but true.

It surprises me that we had such a song and dance about a chocolate advert where the marketing persons, with their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks, came out with the slogan "not for girls" and then we say and do nothing about adverts which are certainly detrimental to a much-needed culture change.

The "not for girls" advert was obviously ironic; what bothers me is that there was no irony in the book adverts. The sellers are serious - because it makes business sense to them - when giving prominence to love stories, magical solutions, recipe and fitness books in promoting book gifts for women.

It does not require much imagination to take into account women's interests at different times of their lives as well as their varied lifestyles and roles, especially of women in the younger age cohorts. This exercise should encourage sellers to promote the many other reading topics that are available on the market and widen the choice both for buyers and readers.

But, the argument goes, the seller is there to do business and not to meddle with reading habits and culture.

If that kind of stuff is what sells most, why try to change it? So it becomes a vicious circle. Who will rock a steady boat? The more interesting ware will probably be advertised on Father's Day.

When we have so many problems such as domestic violence, teachers having sex with teenage girls, poverty among single parents and a thousand other predicaments, some might consider petty the issue of compartmentalising women with regard to particular literature genres. I don't think so.

Women's perceived reading preferences, as communicated via the media, have an effect on how the rest of society looks at us. Also, what we read can help empower or disempower us.

What we read can affect our assertiveness and self-confidence. Where others try to pigeonhole us also affects our lives because those who are not conscious of this labelling - even via the perception of our reading preferences - end up fitting into these stereotypes, realising a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Mrs Dalli is a Labour member of Parliament.