Boys ditch books when schools close – girls keep reading
When holidays or pandemics shut down schools, gender differences in children’s reading habits widen; boys stop reading, while girls continue, according to a new study from the University of Copenhagen
The gap between boys’ and girls’ reading grows when schools are closed. This is shown in a new study published in the scientific journal PNAS, where researchers followed the reading habits of more than 200,000 Danish schoolchildren during holidays and COVID‑19 lockdowns.
Girls simply read more than boys – and the difference becomes significantly larger when school is not in session.
According to sociologist Ea Hoppe Blaabæk from the University of Copenhagen, who conducted the study together with three colleagues, the results indicate that boys in particular rely on the structure provided by school to maintain their reading.
“Our data very clearly show that boys lose more ground than girls when schools are closed. This applies both during ordinary holiday periods and during the unexpected COVID‑19 lockdowns,” she explains, adding:
“In other words, school plays an important role as a standardised framework that helps boys read. When that framework disappears, it is boys who fall the furthest behind.”
Reading inequality can have major consequences
Ea Hoppe Blaabæk and her colleagues warn that this widening inequality may have long‑term consequences if boys do not catch up after holidays and school closures.
“We know that reading is a key competence. There is a clear link between being a strong reader and the likelihood of continuing in the education system after compulsory schooling. That is why it is important that schools understand how periods without school may affect boys and girls differently,” says Blaabæk.
BookBites and library loans
The study is based on two extensive datasets: A national database of library loans for 200,431 pupils in Years 3–5 as well as usage data from the reading app BookBites for 24,539 pupils in 15 Danish municipalities
These data provide insight into the children’s actual behaviour – not simply what they say they do when asked. The researchers found, among other things, that girls generally spend more time reading in BookBites and borrow more books from libraries than boys.
“But we can also see that the differences in reading time between girls and boys increased during the first two COVID‑19 lockdowns. The girls continued reading, which suggests that their reading interest and skills give them an advantage when the usual structure provided by school disappears,” Blaabæk explains.
The findings are published in the article “Gender gaps in reading increase during unplanned and planned school closures” in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
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Girls simply read more than boys – and the difference becomes significantly larger when school is not in session.
According to sociologist Ea Hoppe Blaabæk from the University of Copenhagen, who conducted the study together with three colleagues, the results indicate that boys in particular rely on the structure provided by school to maintain their reading.
“Our data very clearly show that boys lose more ground than girls when schools are closed. This applies both during ordinary holiday periods and during the unexpected COVID‑19 lockdowns,” she explains, adding:
“In other words, school plays an important role as a standardised framework that helps boys read. When that framework disappears, it is boys who fall the furthest behind.”
Reading inequality can have major consequences
Ea Hoppe Blaabæk and her colleagues warn that this widening inequality may have long‑term consequences if boys do not catch up after holidays and school closures.
“We know that reading is a key competence. There is a clear link between being a strong reader and the likelihood of continuing in the education system after compulsory schooling. That is why it is important that schools understand how periods without school may affect boys and girls differently,” says Blaabæk.
BookBites and library loans
The study is based on two extensive datasets: A national database of library loans for 200,431 pupils in Years 3–5 as well as usage data from the reading app BookBites for 24,539 pupils in 15 Danish municipalities
These data provide insight into the children’s actual behaviour – not simply what they say they do when asked. The researchers found, among other things, that girls generally spend more time reading in BookBites and borrow more books from libraries than boys.
“But we can also see that the differences in reading time between girls and boys increased during the first two COVID‑19 lockdowns. The girls continued reading, which suggests that their reading interest and skills give them an advantage when the usual structure provided by school disappears,” Blaabæk explains.
The findings are published in the article “Gender gaps in reading increase during unplanned and planned school closures” in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
END