Carol Gilligan’s book, In a Different Voice, published in 1982, had a tremendous impact on philosophy. Even though her work is largely built on that of others, the popularity of Gilligan’s book brought her “Ethic of Care” into the public spotlight.
Gilligan’s studies are flawed and biased. This is regrettable since her work began with a realization of the flaws and biases in past work on developmental theory. However, the importance of her work is how it caused others to question basic assumptions about humans and gender differences. In later work, Gilligan admits that her care and justice perspectives are not entirely separate or gender specific. Instead, she considers them like optical illusions “like the drawing that can be seen as a young or old woman, or the image of the vase and the faces, one initially sees it in only one way. Yet even after seeing it in both ways, one way often seems more compelling.” (Gilligan, P. 19.) Using this metaphor, she explains that these two perspectives of moral analysis are like two perspectives of the same problem. Most people can and do see both perspectives, although men tend to find the justice perspective more compelling and women tend to find the care perspective more compelling.
Gilligan hypothesizes that the difference is due more to socio-cultural roles and expectations than to natural differences between men and women. However, she recognizes the need for future studies to determine whether or not this is correct.
Justice Perspective - In this perspective, one analyzes moral problems from the perspective of rules and principles, general guidelines that are rationally derived based on assumptions about all humans and ethical concepts (i.e. fairness, good, evil, etc.). The decision-maker is portrayed as an individual, who makes his/her decision free from interference of others, based on values that he/she has freely chosen.
Care Perspective - In this perspective, one analyzes moral problems from the perspective of relationships and the impact of various alternatives on specific people. The goal is to build healthy, supportive networks of relationships. Ethical concepts are important only to the extent that they are useful in this particular case. The decision-maker is portrayed as someone who is enmeshed in a web of relationships and responsibilities which must be considered with each decision. While possessing individual values, decision-makers must often compromise their personal values for the greater benefit of the whole, sustaining and nurturing one’s relationships with others. Attentiveness to the particulars of the present situation and the needs and abilities of the real people involved is more appropriate than appealing to a general rule or standard.
Reference:
Gilligan, C. “Moral Orientation and Moral Development,’ in Kittay, E. F. and Meyers, D. T. Woemn and Moral Theory, Rowman & Littlefield Pubs. (Savage, MD: 1987).
Katha Pollitt is a nationally recognized columnist, associate editor (The Nation), writer, and poet. She counts Gloria Steinham, Naomi Wolf, and Susan Sontag among her fans and Camille Paglia among her critics (Paglia recently wrote that she hoped that Pollitt “burns in hell.”).
Pollitt is a strong critic of Gilligan’s work. Pollitt is primarily responding to Gilligan’s In a Different Voice and to the various forms of “difference feminism” that it has spawned. Pollitt is critical of just about any generalization, be it about “women,” “mothers,” or “men.”
Pollitt criticizes difference feminism because she believes that the true differences are caused by economic and cultural norms. Furthermore, she believes that difference feminism serves much the same role for women as Marx felt religion serves for the proletariat. It provides a reason for current inequalities and makes women feel more comfortable about them by finding value in them. In doing so, Pollitt argues, it actually demeans women and undermines the movement towards gender equity.