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
model based on care to argue that women hold a different but not inferior view of morality.
Gilligan explores the levels of moral development based on care through exploring the thought processes of women who are considering abortion as she feels that this is a “decision that affects both self and other and engages directly the critical moral issue of hurting” (Gilligan 362).
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
self-interest.
A step above the preconventional morality is conventional morality or otherwise described by Gilligan as goodness as self-sacrifice. Contrary to the women in the preconventional stage who are selfish, women in the conventional stage are selfless. Women in the conventional stage make their decisions on the basis of their ability to care about the wellbeing for others. They either get an abortion or decide to have the child by considering the opinions of those around them. The difference from the selfishness in the first stage to the responsibility in the second stage is apparent in the answer of a woman in her late twenties who says the decision of abortion, “depends on your… awareness of the responsibilities that you have whether you can survive with a child and what it will do to your relationship with the father” (Gilligan 364). This women analyzes the question of abortion through reviewing the effects that it will have on the people around her. She specifically refers to how her relationship with the father of the baby will be affected by the baby. She places her moral worth on her ability to care for those around her.
The third stage within the orientation of care is postconventional morality which can also be stated as a responsibility for consequences of choice. Gilligan states that this stage is categorized by the “exercise of choice and the willingness to take responsibility for that choice.” For women who are deciding whether abortion is right for them, this stage involves coming to the conclusion that harm will be done despite of the choice. Many women in the study fail to reach this level but those who do realize that the choice of abortion is based on a multitude of complexities. This thinking is apparent in a twenty-five-year-old woman who states, “I would not be doing myself or the child or the world any kind of favor having this child. I don’t need to pay off my imaginary debts to the world” (Gilligan, 365). This woman is able to achieve some sort of moral agreement between caring for self and others. She takes control over her life and is fully aware of the seriousness of her decision. This type of thinking is characteristic of Gilligan’s third stage of postconventional morality.
By developing a model of morality based on the feminine inclination for care and connectedness, Gilligan develops an accurate scale to measure a women’s model of thought. No longer do women have to be considered inferior as Kohlberg’s model proposes. By exploring the same three levels of development that Kohlberg explores within an orientation of care, Gilligan argues that women are different but in no way inferior.

Bibliography
Gilligan, Carol. In a Different Voice: Women's Conceptions of Self and of Morality. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1982.