This study aims at exploring gender differences in text-type-specific reading competences via readers' gender-specific reading preferences. Women were expected to read more often for the sake of entertainment (entertainment preference), whereas men were expected to read more often to gain information (information preference). We further assumed that individuals who read for entertainment would have higher reading competence in fictional literary texts compared with non-fictional informational texts, and vice versa for individuals who read to gain information. The analysis was based on a sample of 830 adults between 19 and 71 years (M = 31.04; SD = 12.53) from a pilot study of the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). A structural equation model confirmed that women and men show different reading preferences during leisure time. The preference to read for entertainment was predictive for reading competence in literary texts; however, the preference to read for information had positive effects on reading competence in both informational and literary texts. Keywords Reading competence. Text-type-specific reading competences. Gender differences. Preferences to read. Reading behavior Reading comprehension is a basic key competence for adults as well as for children and adolescents and is assumed to be indispensable for an active participation in various fields, including social life,
Societies have socially shared assumptions about what constitutes typically male or female attributes. Language can contribute to gender inequality by transmitting gender stereotypes. This study examines whether gender-stereotypical connotations in stimulus texts within a reading competence test might serve as a nuisance factor distorting reading competence measurements. In addition to a general factor for reading competence, we expected gender-stereotypical texts to give rise to gender-specific factors regarding the text content. The research was based on a sample of 813 adults from a pilot study of the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). A bifactor model confirmed a general factor for reading competence. However, the two gender-specific factors were not found; consequently, no substantial gender differences in reading competence for gender-stereotypical text content were observed. These findings indicate that there is no substantial impact of gender-stereotypical text connotations on the measurement of women’s and men’s reading competence.
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