Level 53
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Ethics and Moral Philosophy

Care Ethics and Feminist Moral Philosophy

The feminist critique of impartialist moral theory and the development of an ethics grounded in relationship, care, and context, from Carol Gilligan's challenge to Kohlberg through Nel Noddings, Virginia Held, and the intersectional critiques that followed.

60-Second Review

Express review

A condensed, point-by-point summary of the module, for reviewing right before a test or exam.

  1. Gilligan's "In a Different Voice" and the Critique of Kohlberg. Gilligan's 1982 study challenged Kohlberg's justice-based stages with a relational "ethic of care".
  2. Noddings and the Ethics of Care as Moral Foundation. Noddings grounds ethics in the caring relation between one-caring and cared-for, not universal rules.
  3. Held on Care as a Political and Social Value. Held argues care is a political and social value, not merely a private virtue confined to the home.
  4. Feminist Critiques of Kantian and Utilitarian Impartiality. Feminists faulted Kantian and utilitarian impartiality for erasing emotion, relationships, and gendered bias.
  5. Relational Autonomy versus Liberal Individualism. Relational autonomy reframes autonomy as socially constituted, against the atomistic liberal self.
  6. Intersectionality and Moral Theory. Intersectionality shows race, class, and gender jointly shape who is expected to give and receive care.
  7. Care Ethics in Bioethics and Social Policy. Care ethics reshaped nursing ethics, disability policy, and how dependency work is valued.
  8. Debates between Care Ethics and Justice-Based Approaches. Scholars debate whether care ethics and justice ethics are complementary or fundamentally opposed.

This module continues after "Applied Ethics: Bioethics and Environmental Ethics" in the syllabus. If you haven't reviewed it yet, it may help set the context.

Key points

Visual module map

1Gilligan's "In a Different Voice" and the Critique of Kohlberg
2Held on Care as a Political and Social Value
3Relational Autonomy versus Liberal Individualism
4Intersectionality and Moral Theory
5Debates between Care Ethics and Justice-Based Approaches

Alternative visual view: a simplified sequence of some of the module's key points, in their order within the syllabus.

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Final test

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Optional mini-games

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Review Flashcards

Review each key point with cards that flip to reveal the summary.

Memory

Match each concept with its definition in as few attempts as possible.

Time Attack

Answer true or false statements before time runs out.

Chronological Order

Put the module's key points back in their original order.

Further reading

Bibliography and cited sources used to create this module.

  • Gilligan, C. (1982). In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  • Noddings, N. (1984). Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Held, V. (2006). The Ethics of Care: Personal, Political, and Global. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Tronto, J.C. (1993). Moral Boundaries: A Political Argument for an Ethic of Care. New York: Routledge.
  • Kittay, E.F. (1999). Love's Labor: Essays on Women, Equality, and Dependency. New York: Routledge.
  • Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1), 139-167.