Effect of Gender in

the Selection of
Literature
*According to Abilock, 2002;
Swalander & Taube, 2007 that
females show a more positive
attitude in reading and a
preference for reading variety of
genres compared to male.
*InReading Don’t Fix No Chevys, Smith
and Wilhelm (2002) identified a number of
general research findings about boys, girls,
and reading:

•Girlscomprehend fiction better

than boys.
•Boys seem to prefer nonfiction,
magazines, and newspapers.

•Boys tend to prefer short texts or

texts with short sections.

•Girlsenjoy leisure reading more

than boys.
• Many boys enjoy reading
about sports and hobbies.

•Some boys enjoy fantasy and

science fiction.

•Boys prefer visual texts.

•Graphicnovels and comic books
are more popular with boys than
girls.

•Boys really do judge a book by its

cover.
*Based on the national survey
conducted during the 2001
Teen Read Week, a question
being asked to them,
“If you don’t read much or
don’t like reading why?”
*Boys reported the following:
BORING/NOT FUN - 39.3%
NO TIME/BUSY – 29.8%
LIKE OTHER ACTIVITIES BETTER – 11.1%
CANT GET INTO THE STORIES – 7.7%
*GIRLS FAVORITE BOOKS:
- MYSTERY/ROMANCE
-LOVE STORIES

*According to Hale and

Crowe (2001)
*BOYS FAVORITE BOOKS:
-ADVENTURE
-SPORTS
-SCIENCE FICTION
-MYSTERY
*According to Hale and
Crowe (2001)