Is Reading Gender Neutral?

Listening to the radio this morning, I heard a commercial for Borders.

Yeah, I was listening to satellite radio - so much for Commercial Free Satellite Radio!!!

At the end of the commercial, the announcer said, "With books for Mom, movies for Dad and Games for all the kids on your list!"

Which got me thinking. Is reading gender specific?

My husband hates to read. HATES IT. I can tell you that he's read one book since we've been married. He's a smart man - he just doesn't like to read. I took an informal survey of guys that I spend time with - read: younger than me at the gym - and they universally dislike reading, some going so far as to say that they HATE it. I really only know one guy who admits to enjoying the feel of a book in his hands, and it was a surreal experience to discuss books with him.

I love to read. Always have. I'll read the back of a cereal box over and over if nothing else. I have books on my Kindle, books in the van, books all over my side of the room - on the bedside table. I've tried as much as possible to get my kids to love reading as much as I do - and for the most part I've been successful. It's really neat to see everyone sitting around, noses down in a book, and to know that they are transported to another time, another place or even life - the best part of reading.

But I have noticed that my oldest, now that he's 18 (gasp!) - he used to read all the time and now he just doesn't. In fact, I do the shopping for my father in law, and he always gets the kids gift certificates to Barnes and Noble. My son told me to get a different location, because he just won't use it.

Do the men in your family read? If not, why? Do they not have time, or do they truly not enjoy it?

Comments

[Bridget]

I was thinking about this just last night. The only man that I know who reads (more than a sports article or Popular Mechanics magazine) is my uncle. And he reads non-stop...and is probably one of the smartest people I know.

So instead of thinking it's gender-related, I'm going with "Smart people read more." That seems fair, right? :-)

[Jen]

My dad, brother and brother-in-law are all crazy readers like me and my mom, but my husband won't read anything.

I too will read the back of a cereal box over and over. :) Thought I was the only one.

[Nicki]

My husband and I are both big readers, but I think I even read more than he does. My mother is a big time reader, as is my FIL. None of my sons likes to read (to be fair, the 4-year-old hasn't quite learned yet, but I am fearing his older brothers' influence), my father hates to read, and my brother and brother-in-law do not read. Apparently my husband and FIL are the abnormal ones? It aggravates the heck out of me, but I still keep buying books in the hopes that I can lure them over to the literary side.

[liz]

My father, my step-father, and my son are all big readers - book-a-day types.

My husband also loves to read, but he reads sloooooowly.

[Lisa]

That is so funny, I will read the backs of cans, cereal boxes, etc. too. Anything that is in front of me. I do know a handful of male readers, but they are mostly older than me (39). My husband has read very few books since I have known him (many years) but doesn't have much interest in them at all. Total opposites. I would love for us to curl up together and read but to each their own, right?

I will shirk all of my other duties if I am reading a good book so I have to actually make sure NOT to start one for a while if I have a lot on my plate.

So far my son (8) loves to read and does so every day. I am really hoping to keep this up as long as possible.

[Headless Mom]

My husband has only read one book since we've been married also. He's dyslexic and it is exhausting for him to turn all of the letters around in his head. There are many books that he's started but he can only get through a few pages at a time before he has to put it down. My boys love to read. I hope they stay that way!

[BeeBelle]

That question had never even occurred to me. My dad reads a ton. When he was working he read a lot of material about his field, now he reads a lot of religion and spirituality, not much fiction. DH reads constantly, mostly sci-fi. He also listens to books on CD in the car. My brother is following my dad's lead - mostly reading in his field, but he also reads the big books in his teenager's life, like Harry Potter and Hunger Games. DS is 10 and in the last Harry Potter. DSIL is 22 and goes through about a book every two weeks.

[Beth A.]

My husband is a reader...he reads slower than me, but he also reads really thick fantasy type books. My dad is a reader too. Both are a little picky about what they read, but both love to read. My 5 year old is starting to read and I think he's going to be a bookworm like his mama.

As a librarian I can tell you that boys will read IF you can find them the right book. They are picky, but if you spend the time to LOOK for the right subject...you'll hook them.

Depending on what Gabriel likes to read, he might like the "GUYS READ" books by Jon Sciezka. They are good stories and all written by male authors. I try to get as many boys in my community to read these books as possible.

So, to answer your question...no, I don't think reading is gender specific.

Would your husband and Nik like audio books in the car? It's not traditional reading, but still a good way to get some books into their heads.

[Pat]

My Dad's job involved R&D and he read lots of things at work. At home, he read the paper, books of movie reviews and Westerns (anything Zane Grey). My Mom would sit at night and read cookbooks the way other people read novels. My brothers seldom read unless required for school. I have a nephew, however, who prays for gift cards to Barnes & Noble. He will read anything "fantasy"--must contain dragons and knights. He's 14 now, so perhaps his tastes will change. His 11-year-old sister, however, seldom reads. She would much rather be doing gymnastics or watching "Cake Boss."

[Nicole]

My husband does read, but not as much as he'd like to. He's a techie, so he'd much rather read the quest information in his role-playing game than a book. However, he does have an iPad with some books on it, and he does read on that from time to time.

The only two guys I can think of who read regularly are my husband's best friend who has an English degree, and my father-in-law who loves John Sandford and Clive Cussler.

I do wonder...if video games were predominantly marketed for women rather than men...would men read more?

[Annika]

My husband reads constantly. CONSTANTLY. When I made a slideshow for our wedding, every picture of him from age 8 on was him, reading. He still tears through at least a book a week. I love to read as much as he does, but I'm lucky if I get through a book every couple of months. I'm just not as good at finding time to read as he is.

[Maggie]

My entire family growing up were all huge readers with my father leading the way. My brothers and sister and I still read to this day. My husband doesn't read much at all (certainly not fiction) and although my kids loved being read to growing up and we did it every night, they only read sports-related webpages now.

[Patricia]

My husband reads daily and is trying to pass the love down to my son. The boys in my family are bigger readers than me. I will say this, I was not a reader until I was an adult.

So -- in my home, men read -- women listen to more audiobooks.

[amie]

You know I ,like you, am a bookworm, bibliophile, book loving geek, whatever you choose to call it. I think of women as reading more, but when I really think about it not true. My husband reads journal artciles daily & novels on vacations. My nephew and brother in law are bookish, English lit major guys so they are always reading. My son usually reads non fiction sciencey kind of stuff. In the house I grew up in, people did not read for enjoyment. To see my dad sit and read with my kids is kind of surreal. But now that they are a little older, they like to read to him.

[Karen P]

My husband likes to read but doesn't seem to read very often. He always reads when we are on vacation he just reads slower than I do. We have vast differences in what we like to read so rarely read the same book. My oldest son (33) is a big reader. He read a lot of Steinbeck when he was in college something I have never read. He didn't want an ereader because he said he liked the feel of books. My second son (30) likes to read too. My father was a big reader and so is my father-in-law.

[Katie]

My dad likes to read...about cars and also the newspaper...my grandpa loved to read...about cars and history, along with the newspaper...my other grandpa liked to read the newspaper and his seed catalog...

What is it with guys and the newspaper...my dad gets 3 of them everyday...how do you have time to read 3 newspapers everyday?

[Carolyn]

My dad and my husband are both avid readers (when my husband gets a new book, I can pretty much assume I won't be seeing him for the next day or two because he comes home from work, sits down, and reads until it's time for bed!) They are also two of the most intellectually driven people I know, so even if it's a blog or a magazine or something other than a traditional book, they're always reading and learning SOMETHING. I read to escape and avoid boredom - I think if they aren't reading, their brain might explode from lack of input ;)

[Thumper]

My husband is a voracious reader; sometimes it's actually annoying, because that Kindle is always there in front of him.

My son reads quite a bit, and would probably read more if he had the time.

My dad read constantly.

I'm not sure it's gender specific...I can flip it over and name several women who hate reading.

[beebalm]

My husband and I are both readers, and my 8-yr-old has the makings of an obsessive reader, too. :) My FIL and BIL are both readers, while the women in the family are not. Unfortunately, I think much of our culture discourages boys and girls from reading. I'm doing my best to engage all my children with books. I have learned so much from reading, and I don't want them to miss out.

[Emily C]

I remember reading that a big way to get boys to love lifetime reading is for them to have male role-models who they catch reading a lot.

[LizP]

My husband likes the idea of reading but he doesn't get a lot of time to do it. Both of my stepsons (20 & 16) love to read, as long as it is not something for school. My 5 year old son loves reading also.

[Megan]

My dad reads at least the Post every day, and I think there are several other papers he reads online, but then again, he is a former journalist. He also reads several magazines, some entertainment and some news. And I think he reads nonfiction books occasionally. By "occasionally," I mean one a year or thereabouts.

None of the guys I've dated has been a heavy reader. They all read books occasionally, but they were few and far between. I always have at least one book I'm reading, but I'm not the reader I used to be, either. And I can tell you exactly when I stopped reading all the time. It was when we got a computer with AOL when I was 13. Since then, I've gone from reading several books a week, at least, to maybe one a month if I'm lucky. Reading does not captivate me like it used to. Why would it, when it takes hours to read a book and I can be entertained by Facebook status updates and Onion articles in seconds or minutes?

Thanks for the reminder that I need to renew my library book, though. Not because I didn't finish it on time, but because I don't have time to return it.

[Lia]

Both my husband and I are voracious readers, as is our daughter. Our son, though, doesn't like to read fiction, which is what the schools push, and it's always a challenge to get him to complete his summer reading projects. I have had success with various types of non-fiction (especially military history, almanacs, and folklore books).

[Gena Mazzeo]

I will read ANYTHING that has words (someone mentioned soup cans above...that's me!) and think it stems from my dad's journalism background. My brothers don't read a lot though, but dad, mom and I are still really active readers. One of the questions I ask on first dates is about recent books he's read and/or liked. He doesn't read books?...thanks for the drink, I'm moving on. It's very important to me, and probably limits the pool of available/interesting men, but I want to be able to sit on opposite ends of the couch and lose myself in a book while he does the same thing (occasionally). And anyway, the pool of available/interesting/single men at my age/in my area is small anyway...just separating the wheat from the chaff!

[Kate]

My brother was as attached to books as I was growing up, and he probably reads less now because of the demands of a toddler and the draw of televised sports and computer games. But he definitely always has a book he's reading, even if it takes a while to find time for it. My dad will happily read books someone gives him, and usually has a few paperback Westerns lying around, but he never goes to the library or buys books for himself. Which seems odd to me, because he genuinely enjoys what he does read.

Incidentally as a single person, whether or not a guy reads is on my list of semi-important criteria. If I'm always in six books at once I might find it hard to relate to someone who never picks one up.