"In a Different Voice" - Carol Gilligan

In 1982, Feminist psychologist Carol Gilligan published "In a Different Voice", a book that is known by others to have started a revolution for feminism. It was in this book that Gilligan analyzed three separate studies on development, noting that they were through the male lens, focusing specifically on how humans develop morallyhttps://muse.jhu.edu/article/726909. She held opinions and pointed out the ways in which these theories have been postulated by men and include women's development without the actual inclusion of a woman's voice or perspective. Gilligan stated that the goal of this book was to paint a picture of the wrongful ways women have been presented in psychology history - men have painted women to have defects in development. She argued that because men have been the main authors of these theories and texts for so long, they hold a lot of the privilege that exists within the field. This book does not hold a theory but rather a critique on the work on development that has already been done.
Carol Gilligan still speaks out today on the modern day struggles of feminism, including the fallout of Trump's election, comparing the government to the ways in which the male sex often chops at the emotional capacities of womenhttps://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/style/carol-gilligan.html. While some feminists love Carol's work, others protest it, arguing that her descriptions of women throughout development set women back even farther in society's view. From an empirical source, Gilligan's work has faced backlash as well, asking why samples were not largely and why more people have not reviewed her work, though she argues that her lens is more of a personal matter than one that is scientific. An interesting aspect of Carol's beliefs include the idea that men and women are different when morally developed, taking a stance different than what is typically assumed to be feminist as "all equal"https://www.goodtherapy.org/famous-psychologists/carol-gilligan.html. Though men and women differ, Gilligan argues that they differ because of the social implications of their sex, not because of something genetic in a man versus a woman. I found Carol's work to be interesting, as she heavily critiques Kohlberg's moral development theory having worked alongside him at one point in her Harvard career. 
Gilligan highlights that women find morality through their interpersonal relationships, which is why some feminists and scholars critique her work, stating that this view further imposes that women are fundamentally meant to be caregivers. However, Gilligan did intend through her work for men and women to be viewed on an even playing field, she chose to highlight differences in doing so.
Category:Feminism
Category:1980s
Further Reading:
# Gilligan, C. (2009). In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development. Harvard University Press.
# Gilligan, C. (2013). Joining the Resistance. John Wiley & Sons.
# Gilligan, C., & Snider, N. (2018). Why Does Patriarchy Persist? John Wiley & Sons.
#