The aim of the present study is to explore differences in reading achievement, reading engagement, time spent on reading and self-esteem between 15 year old Norwegian and Swedish boys and girls from low, middle and high socio-economic background.The Nordic countries have long emphasised the principle of equity in education. In spite of that literacy skills are not equally distributed among young adults in Norway and Sweden. Gender and socio-economic background are two factors that might effect students´ reading achievement and reading engagement. In the OECD-project Programme for International Student Asessment (PISA) in year 2000 females surpassed males in reading in all participating countries. The gender gaps in reading performance were larger in Norway and Sweden than in the OECD-countries in general. Inequality in reading literacy attributable to socio-economic and cultural backgrounds factors were also found although they were somewhat smaller in Norway and Sweden than in OECD in general (OECD, 2001). The information of socio-economic background is based on what the students tell in a questionnaire about their parents´ education and profession. However, it was found that within countries cultural possessions like classical literature were more closely associated with performance than family wealth (OECD, 2001). Furthermore, within PISA the students were also asked about ongoing cultural activities like going to the theatre and it was found that students frequently participating in such activities in most countries had a better reading comprehension. Thus, gender and family background are important variables to consider in relation to the entangled relationship between reading performance, reading engagement, reading habits and self-esteem. Method Data have been collected within the OECD-project Programme for International Student Asessment in year 2000 in Norway and Sweden (OECD, 2001). A follow up study was made in Norway where a small group of students were interviewed about their attitudes to reading and reading habits.Subjects Around 7 000 Norwegian and Swedish 15-year old students participated. Data from students not speaking the language of instruction at home were excluded because these students would inevitably bring another important factor in to our discussion. About half of the students were boys and half were girls. In the interview study about 20 Norwegian boys and girls were included. Results The results sofar confirm to a high extent earlier research in the area and add some new dimensions worth attending to. Boys` high engagement in reading might decrease the effects of low socio-economic background on reading performance. One would have expected boys to have a lower academic self-esteem since they are less good readers than girls. This was not confirmed. However, the questions used here are very general and are not focusing on the students´ self-esteem in relation to reading in particular. Girls should be aware of their in general good reading ability and thus become more self-confident in relation to academic performances in general. The deep interviews of the small group of Norwegian students have yet to be analysed in more detail. However, it has already become obvious that boys read more than they say to when they answer questionnaires. They do not count all their reading on internet and of e-mails i.e. Still it is true that girls read more challenging texts and an important question is how to get more boys to read books. Sofar, in the Nordic environment book reading is not a particularly male interest. However, some interesting projects have already started where books which are specially attractive to active young men are used. References OECD, 2001. Knowledge and Skills for Life. First results from PISA 2000.