Crossing the River Jordan Award

Previous Winners

Carol Gilligan (1997)
Carol Gilligan's work in human development and psychology has expanded the understanding of the development of men and women, and boys and girls. Her research shows that the inclusion of women's and girls' voices changes the traditional paradigm of psychology. In 1982, Gilligan published a groundbreaking book, In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development, and ushered in a new era of thinking about human development and mental health by exploring the significance of how women's voices change human conversation. Her work in this area has had a significant impact on theories of psychological development, the training of teachers, and the education of all children, not just girls. Some of the most important studies of girls’ education, including the studies by the Association of American University Women (AAUW) in the 1990s, were critically informed by Gilligan’s methods and theories.

A summa cum laude graduate of Swarthmore College, Gilligan earned a master's degree in clinical psychology from Radcliffe College in 1960 and a PhD in social psychology from Harvard in 1964. She began teaching at Harvard University in 1967, and received tenure as a full professor in 1986. In 1997, Gilligan was appointed to a newly endowed chair at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the Patricia Albjerg Graham Chair in Gender Studies, the first position in gender studies at Harvard University.

Carol Gilligan is the recipient of many awards and honors including the prestigious Grawemeyer Award in Education, which honors achievements in fields such as education and music not recognized by the Nobel prizes, and the Heinz Award for contributions to knowledge of the human condition. In recognition of the ways her groundbreaking research and writing have increased opportunities for girls, and raised awareness of their educational needs, Carol Gilligan received the Crossing the River Jordan Award in an inspiring ceremony at the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington, DC.