It's a good thing I took "Must Read" off of my list of things to look for in a husband, because I'd be looking until I was ninety! I joke, but this recent article from NPR which states that women read more than men is disturbing. Though, it's not surprising to learn this, I hate finding concrete evidence to confirm these kinds of suspicions. To be fair, the article focuses on fiction reading only and it also offers up some interesting theories to explain this phenomenon, one of which is:
At a young age, girls can sit still for much longer periods of time than boys, says Louann Brizendine, author of The Female Brain. "Girls have an easier time with readin g or written work, and it's not a stretch to extrapolate [that] to adult life," Brizendine says.
Alrighty then! However, they can sit in front of the television either watching it or playing video games for hours on end, right. (Ok, so playing video games isn't exactly sitting still, but you catch my drift).
YIKES!
So, let's recap: 25% of American adults are not reading at all, men and boys read less than their female counterparts and then there the age gap.
Imagine the reading landscape 20 years from now.
That's nothing to joke about.
Apparently, the Harry Potter
series (thank heavens for JK Rowling) may have helped to turn the tide a little bit on the reading habits of boys but there is still the issue of young people reading less than older people.
series (thank heavens for JK Rowling) may have helped to turn the tide a little bit on the reading habits of boys but there is still the issue of young people reading less than older people. YIKES!
So, let's recap: 25% of American adults are not reading at all, men and boys read less than their female counterparts and then there the age gap.
Imagine the reading landscape 20 years from now.
That's nothing to joke about.
Not too surprising. The funny thing is though, I saw that book The Female Brain at B/N today. :)
ReplyDeleteI do think men read but they just don't read the same things women do. Men probably read more special interest magazines than women. Yes some of us read the tabloids but I know my husband reads car and golf magazines. Once every 2-3 years he'll read a book.
See, now my husband would read more, but just doesn't have time.
ReplyDeleteWhen he does read, he tends to read historical or political books.