In the past, education was dominated by the male, but in recent times, women have become the new face of the scholar. In the feminist push for gender equality, the male has been left to fend for himself in the public school environment. There is evidence to show that women read more than men, the first part of the problem. Another root cause is that the public school system is not geared towards promoting male interest in reading or education. Furthermore, with the spotlight on female success, males are often left in the dark. These factors have contributed to the large educational gap between the sexes in the public school system. Today our culture encourages boys to read less than girls. In the early days of writing, stories of wild adventures and long journeys were prominent in the culture, with the classic hero's journey being a symbol for a male on a mission. But the books focus on heroines like Twilight's Bella Swan, Bella's narrative is a love story with an intricate plot that includes body image issues, moral situations, and near-death experiences. As a male I can say that nothing would interest me in the slightest if I were forced to read it in class. Books like this demonstrate how popular texts of recent times are suited to the female mind. “It has long been known that there are strong differences between boys and girls in literary competence” (Bauerlein). Especially in public schools there has been a growing gap between boys and girls and how much they read. It has been noted that girls are determined to read much more, this could be a factor that explains why a study was published in 2002 according to which girls on average score almost 3 times higher than boys on a reading test. reading proficiency (Bauer..... . middle of paper ......implies that boys are behind in school. It seems that in the age of equality we have an unequal balance in the public school system. The male has lost the desire to stay up all night reading the latest narrative, instead the woman in the sheets with the ultimate romance. With girls outperforming boys in every class as a whole, boys are alienated and few explore the wonderful world of academic excellence. Classic image of the scholar has changed, pop culture has forged the image of the female in favor of the male Works Cited Baurline, Mark and Sandra Stotsky "Why Johnny Won't Read." /St.Brooks, David. “Mind beyond muscles” The language of composition. 1st ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Hulbert, Ann. “Trouble with kids.” The language of composition. 1st ed. Boston: Bedford/St.