What are the roles of biology and social factors in the development of psychological differences between girls and boys, women and men? What is the best way to understand those differences from a scientific standpoint?

On September 30 and October 1, 2023, a group of leading scholars (click here to see bios and abstracts) will gather at the Eldorado Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico to address this crucial topic from a wide range of different, sometimes clashing perspectives. The goal is to raise and answer questions of all kinds, to further in-depth dialogue across disciplinary boundaries, and to facilitate progress on all sides of the issue.

The Big Conversation takes place in an atmosphere of growing divide among psychologists and neuroscientists about the scientific understanding of sex/gender difference in humans. This is also a time when advances in biology and genetics are pushing the boundaries of human research, calling into question old assumptions and opening up new ways to address long-standing questions about differences and similarities in relation to sex. The Big Conversation is designed to promote exchanges among researchers who contribute to this discussion so that they probe and understand each other’s point of view, and create opportunities for insight and scientific innovation. Our goal is to promote open dialogue and deepen understanding on all sides, not to declare “winners” and “losers.” We believe this is a vital priority, given the increasingly polarized social and political pressures that surround the issue of sex/gender differences.

Wide-ranging issues that will be discussed include:

• The biological and evolutionary meaning of sex
• The relations between “sex” and “gender”
• The interplay of sex/gender differences and similarities
• The role of socialization and learning
• The contributions of genetic and hormonal factors
• The developmental processes that tie it all together
• The interpretation of cross-cultural differences
• The validity and relevance of non-human research
• The promise and limitations of neuroscience
• The contributions of evolutionary biology and psychology
• The current debates over methodology and data analysis

The Big Conversation will consist of individual presentations by the invited scholars, followed by in-depth conversations and two final roundtables. The entire workshop will be live-streamed and later uploaded on the YouTube channel of the Santa Fe Boys Educational Foundation. You can see the event program here.