To test the hypothesis that the genetic etiology for reading disability may differ in males and females, data from identical and fraternal twin pairs were analysed using both concordance and multiple regression methods. The sample included 264 identical (129 male, 135 female) and 214 same-sex fraternal (121 male, 93 female) twin pairs in which at least one member of each pair had reading difficulties. The difference between the identical and fraternal twin pair concordance rates was slightly larger for females than for males, suggesting a possible sex difference in etiology; however, a loglinear analysis of the three-way interaction of sex, zygosity, and concordance was not significant (p greater than or equal to 0.17). The estimate of group heritability (h[subscript g][superscript 2]), a standardized measure of the extent to which reading difficulties are due to genetic influences, was somewhat greater for females than males (0.65 vs 0.54), but this difference was also not significant (p greater than or equal to 0.35). Gender differences in h[subscript g][superscript 2] were larger for younger children (less than 11.5 years of age) than for older children. However, the three-way interaction of sex, zygosity, and age was not significant when age was treated either categorically (p greater than or equal to 0.86) or continuously (p greater than or equal to 0.71). Thus, results of this study provide little or no evidence for a differential genetic etiology of reading difficulties in males and females. (Contains 3 tables.)