Reading for pleasure: Socialisation and gender differences among young students in Portugal

Abstract

This article examines gender differences in book reading for pleasure among students in primary and secondary education in Portugal, based on a representative sample comprising over 20,000 pupils. Drawing on concepts of socialisation and reading practices, the study analyses how the main agencies of socialisation shape the differentiated relationships that boys and girls develop with reading. The research adopts a quantitative methodology, combining descriptive statistical analysis, odds ratio and cluster analysis to map the distribution of practices and associated dispositions. The findings show that gender differences emerge early and become more pronounced throughout compulsory schooling. However, these differences are significantly reduced and statistically insignificant among avid readers, suggesting the importance of intensive socialisation trajectories characterised by early, sustained, and multifaceted exposure to reading. The article thus contributes to an understanding of reading practices as the product of socially constructed dispositions, revealing the persistence of gendered cultural differences even within contexts marked by plural affiliations and multiple agencies of socialisation.