Kids are often raised with a competitive outlook in life, because it is the norm in society. High school kids are usually not interested in reading; they need books that are more appealing to them, like a book about war. Children are expected to compete and do their best in sports and extracurricular activities rather than in education. Due to the lack of drive to compete educationally, more often than not they end up being left behind. High school boys are less interested in reading because they feel that the books they have to read tend to appeal more to the feminine side of things. Assigned textbooks and literature do not reflect the dispositions of male students. When my brother was in high school he was asked to read Romeo and Juliet and had a hard time finishing it because he just didn't like it at all. There is a large gap between the sexes when it comes to the percentage of those who love to read. The numbers tend to drop as the years go by, for women it goes from 63% to 59%, a not excessive drop while for boys it has fallen from 55% to 43%. I believe that the percentage of women is higher because when they are in high school most books attract them and therefore they are more interested in reading them while as far as boys are concerned they have never really been interested in books and therefore it is much more difficult for them to they get into a book in general because they've never really been interested in books. Boys are expected to be competitive in everything they do or to be invisible. Usually people want to be known, they want everyone to know their name and what they have accomplished, but this doesn't happen to everyone. For boys, if you don't play sports or are not part of something well known, the expectation is that... middle of paper... not that boys are more competitive than girls, but that boys and girls are competitive about different things. It's not 100% a gender issue, it's the influences that are exerted on both boys and girls. The external influence of others, usually teachers or parents, who have the greatest influence on children. Boys need more attention when it comes to education and girls need that extra push or influence when it comes to extracurricular activities. Works Cited Bauerlein, Mark and Sandra Stotsky. "Because Johnny doesn't read." The language of composition.1st ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 408-410. Print.Walker, Rebecca. "Put down the gun." The language of composition. 1st ed. Boston:Bedford/St.Martin's, 2008 412-414. Print.Hulbert, Ann. “Trouble with kids.” The language of composition. 1st ed. Boston:Bedford/St.Martin's, 2008. 414-417. Press.