Are Reading and Literacy In Trouble? And What Might Gender Have to Do With This?

Featured Speaker: Professor Michele Bolton

Most studies show that the literacy rate for adults in the United States is only 79% compared to some other countries which have achieved 100%. Is this part of the general decline of the United States in our “age of grievance,” or is something else at work? Boys, girls, men and women read very differently as gender greatly influences how we spend our leisure time, our preferences and motivation to read. Women are more likely to read novels for pleasure while men are more likely to read for more practical reasons. Gender also influences reading achievement at a young age, with girls scoring higher on comprehension and vocabulary exams and many boys viewing reading as not sufficiently masculine. How are we to understand this and correct what is needed? 

Presenter Biography

Presenter: Michele Kremen Bolton is an Emerita Professor with the College of Business at San Jose State University where she taught and researched leadership and gender and other topics. She has published several books on women’s careers and leadership. She received a B.A. in Psychology at Stanford, an M.B.A. from San Jose State University and a Ph.D. in Management from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. 

Coordinator: Mavis Porter