The issue of gender differences in moral development
Keywords:
moral development, gender differences, C. Gilligan's theoryAbstract
The issue of gender differences in moral development has generated a rich literature. In the history of research focused on this dimension, the book In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development, published by American researcher C. Gilligan, represented a turning point. With a social and cultural vision strongly impregnated by the feminist orientation, Gilligan has critically discussed L. Kohlberg’s theory of the universal stages of the development of moral judgments. Reproaching Kohlberg for having built his approach on a typically masculine set of moral values, Gilligan offered a compelling argument that men promote the morality of justice and fairness when deciding what facts or actions are morally acceptable, while women are concerned about the morality that highlights their caring and compassion towards others, respectively their responsibility towards the well-being of themselves and of others. However, the results of empirical studies that have harnessed Giigan’s vision are not yet conclusive. This paper discusses the issue of gender differences in the field of moral development, analyzing it through the lens of C. Gilligan’s contribution and the results of the studies that were stimulated by her work.
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