When School’s Out, Girls Keep Reading. Boys Don’t.
Research shows that boys' reading drops during school closures and holidays, while girls’ remains steady.
Researchers have long grappled with gender gaps in education, and, specifically, the question of why school-aged girls tend to outperform their male counterparts academically.
Now, new research from Denmark suggests reading habits may play a significant role in the disparity. The study, published in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," analyzes data from more than 200,000 schoolchildren collected between 2020 and 2022, based on their library borrowing records and in-app digital reading activity.
Both datasets show that girls consistently read more than boys — and the gap widens when school is not in session. During Covid-19 closures and school holidays, boys’ reading levels dropped significantly, while girls’ largely stayed the same.
Because the data tracks actual behavior rather than self-reported habits, the researchers say it provides a detailed and valuable picture of how reading patterns shift when classroom structure is removed. The findings suggest boys may be more reliant on that structure to sustain their reading habits, while girls are more likely to continue independently.
The authors note that reading habits are unlikely to fully explain gender differences in academic performance but argue that the findings are significant. Even small differences in daily reading, they explain, can accumulate over time, influencing broader educational outcomes.
The study also points to a potential policy lever that could narrow the gender gap: encouraging boys to read more during school breaks, through structured programs or improved access to engaging material.
