Gilligan Moral Development
Sagarika Reddy
Philosophy Honors
02/28/16
Dr. Shorter
In a different voice: Women’s conceptions of Self and of Morality Through her work In a different voice: Women’s conceptions of Self and of Morality,
Gilligan presents a theory of moral development that asserts that women confront ethical dilemmas in a different way than men. She notes that men approach issues with a need for justice while women approach issues with a need for care. This theory is largely what causes her to criticize Kohlberg's model of development that places women a stage lower than men. She argues that Kohlberg’s degradation of the level of female moral development is the result of male intellectual bias. She asserts that Kohlberg’s theory of moral development holds true for those who view morality through the lens of justice but simply falls short for those who view morality through a lens of care. Just as Kohlberg presents a model based on justice that deals with the three levels of development; preconventional, conventional, and postconventional, Gilligan presents a similar …show more content…
The first level of Gilligan’s model of development is preconventional morality or in other words orientation to individual survival. Women in the preconventional level are essentially looking out for their own wellbeing. This thinking is apparent in an eighteen-year old who when asked about her pregnancy replied; “I really didn’t think anything except that I didn’t want it” (Gilligan 363). The eighteen-year old analyzes the repercussions keeping the baby would have for her and then comes to the decision that she is better off without the baby. People in this level are typically egocentric and fail to look beyond their own
Philosophy Honors
02/28/16
Dr. Shorter
In a different voice: Women’s conceptions of Self and of Morality Through her work In a different voice: Women’s conceptions of Self and of Morality,
Gilligan presents a theory of moral development that asserts that women confront ethical dilemmas in a different way than men. She notes that men approach issues with a need for justice while women approach issues with a need for care. This theory is largely what causes her to criticize Kohlberg's model of development that places women a stage lower than men. She argues that Kohlberg’s degradation of the level of female moral development is the result of male intellectual bias. She asserts that Kohlberg’s theory of moral development holds true for those who view morality through the lens of justice but simply falls short for those who view morality through a lens of care. Just as Kohlberg presents a model based on justice that deals with the three levels of development; preconventional, conventional, and postconventional, Gilligan presents a similar …show more content…
The first level of Gilligan’s model of development is preconventional morality or in other words orientation to individual survival. Women in the preconventional level are essentially looking out for their own wellbeing. This thinking is apparent in an eighteen-year old who when asked about her pregnancy replied; “I really didn’t think anything except that I didn’t want it” (Gilligan 363). The eighteen-year old analyzes the repercussions keeping the baby would have for her and then comes to the decision that she is better off without the baby. People in this level are typically egocentric and fail to look beyond their own