This study investigates gender differences in students' speech when approaching their preferences on school subjects and professional choices. The analysis is based on Bakhtin's philosophy of language and is oriented toward the following research questions: Do boys and girls adopt different language styles when addressing their preferences on school subjects and professional choices? How may these styles be related to gender disparities in science education? An amount of 362 Brazilian high school students answered a set of open questions. The results add to the national and international literature but go forward providing examples of cultural aspects involved in different socialization patterns, shaping boys and girls' discourse in different ways.
language; gender differences; preferences on subject matters; professional choices