Is There a Gender Gap?

Gender Specific Toys squidoo.com

Most have us have grown up with the idea that there are girl toys and boy toys. Girls get dolls and boys get blocks. Of course this is a total stereotype, but unfortunately it is still true in our society. Even when we look at the newest toys for children they are gender oriented.

Leapfrog has created child versions of a computer or iPad and there are pink and purple ones for girls and green and blue ones for boys. But even with all of these societal pressures is there really a difference between girls and boys? Do we view technology differently?

In a study done on middle school kids in Texas researcher, Dara Williams-Rossi, discovered that boys who were given e-readers found them very valuable. But in that same study the researcher found that girls did not feel the same way. The boys found that the e-reader made them value reading more and that they actually enjoyed it where girls valued reading less and had a lower self concept of their reading skills.

 This study is not completely finished. It is a three year study and they are only half way through, so the results may change as technology becomes more important to us. As for now it seems that girls prefer traditional books over digital; and boys prefer digital over traditional. Will we ever agree on anything?

Boys Love 'em! blackandmarriedwithkids.com

This study also found that middle school children read less than younger students. As children get older they view reading as "boring" and would rather be hanging out with friends or playing video games. Maybe by making reading "cool" again with the new digital books children will find it more fun. I hope that children will once again find the joy of reading. It has been such a wonderful thing for me that I want others to experience it as well.

As we move forward into a world filled with technology i hope that our younger generation of girls can embrace it like the boys seem to. If we want a world of equality we all must be able to do the same work with quality results. But in the world of books maybe staying with the traditional is a completely bad idea? I guess we will see!