Gender differences in reasoning styles: Feminist contributions to STEM, politics, law

When we plan lessons for gender inclusivity, one of the things to consider is how the styles of reasoning might privilege one gender over another. Time and time again, research points to different approaches to criteria, processing, and decision-making among genders. This is not to say that *all* women or men reason a certain way. Current thinking is that there are huge differences within genders. However, being conscious of gender remains an important consideration for teachers.

Below is a summary I put together of some of the research to date on feminist contributions to reasoning in STEM, politics and law. Consider how the "styles" of identifying, establishing and applying criteria in the process of thinking might relate to your own classroom. When you look at your lesson plan, try to identify subtle bias in these areas. Also, try to think about the structure and nature of discussions you have in class could be remodeled to address dialogical reasoning!