As we’ve documented pretty extensively before, arts organization VIDA has done a lot to expose gender inequality in the writing world with its annual count comparing female bylines to male ones in a number of publications.

The New York Review of Books‘ ratio has been less than stellar for the past three years, with female reviewers and female authors reviewed never rising above 20% of the total.

How did the NYRB respond to VIDA’s criticism? By sending a letter to VIDA simply listing all the NYRB‘s female reviewers and female authors reviewed.

Yes, VIDA is aware of that list. They produced the same one. The equivalent male list is much longer. That was the whole point of the count.