Carol Gilligan
American psychologist and ethicist known for the ethics of care
Harvard-trained psychologist who, in the 1982 book In a Different Voice, challenged Kohlberg's account of moral development and described an ethic of care alongside an ethic of justice.
Why this person matters
Gilligan questioned whether a theory built largely on studies of boys and men described everyone's moral reasoning. Her work opened discussion of gender, voice and relationships in development. It also drew sharp criticism, and its empirical basis remains disputed.
Main contributions
In a Different Voice
The 1982 book drew on three studies: college students on moral development, women facing a decision about ending a pregnancy, and men and women of different ages on rights and responsibilities. She described an ethic of care, which she saw as more common among women but not limited to them.
Challenge to Kohlberg
She argued that Kohlberg's stages were male-oriented and that care-based judgements are a different orientation, not a lower stage. She had returned to Harvard in 1967, taught with Erik Erikson and worked as Kohlberg's research assistant.
Studies of girls and adolescence
Later books include Meeting at the Crossroads (with Lyn Mikel Brown) and Between Voice and Silence (with Jill McLean Taylor and Amy M. Sullivan).
Context and limits
Critics disagree. Some praised the book and others called it essentialising. Jaclyn Friedman argues that differences between women's and men's ethics come from social expectations, and Christina Hoff Sommers argues that the research is ill-founded. Kohlberg rejected the claim that women score lower on his measure, citing studies that found no gender difference. The sources read do not summarise independent replications or meta-analyses.
In your introductory course
Lifespan development.Gilligan appears in moral development, next to Kohlberg, and in discussions of gender bias in theory and sampling. Students learn the care versus justice contrast and why it was contested.
Related course reading: Psychology 2e, section 9.2. This is course context rather than a biographical source.
Years of active work
- 1964
Received her PhD in social psychology from Harvard.
- 1967
Returned to Harvard, teaching with Erik Erikson and assisting Lawrence Kohlberg.
- 1982
Published In a Different Voice.
- 2002
Moved to New York University after leaving Harvard.
Sources
- Psychology's Feminist Voices, Carol GilliganSociety or association. Institutional biography inspected.
- Wikipedia, Carol GilliganReference work. Reference article inspected.
- Wikipedia, Lawrence KohlbergReference work. Reference article inspected.