Crossword blog: where are the female setters?

Anna Shechtman is one of the most interesting figures on the American puzzle scene. She sets; she's also assistant to the New York Times puzzle editor Will Shortz. Since she may well be in charge of some fiefdom of wordplay before long, she's as good a (young) person as any to ask about where crosswording may be headed in its second century.

In a piece for The American Reader, Shechtman relates a talk given at this year's American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. David Steinberg, a teenage setter who is digitising those NYT puzzles that predate Shortz's tenure, had some data to share. Women produce 19% of the NYT's crosswords: this is a lower proportion than in previous generations, and their puzzles are much more likely to appear on the "easier" days, Monday and Tuesday.