Women's talk in the ivory tower

Inequities in higher education persist, as revealed both by statistical indicators and in continuing reports by women students and faculty that the academic environment itself is alienating. Our review of the research on academic settings, including classroom interaction and the patterns of interaction among and between females and males, leads us to identify the structure of classroom talk itself as one reason many women find the classroom inhospitable. The norms of classroom interaction are more closely aligned with typical male patterns of interaction than with typical female patterns. We suggest that both can exist in classrooms side‐by‐side, as important resources for females and males. We conclude with suggestions for teaching and research.

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