"At a time when efforts are being made to eradicate discrimination between the sexes in the search for social equality and justice, the differences between the sexes are being rediscovered." - Carol Gilligan
Carol Gilligan
Carol Gilligan was born on November 28, 1936 in New York City. She graduated from Swarthmore College in 1958, and earned her doctorate in psychology from Harvard University in 1964. Carol conducted interviews with women who were deciding whether or not to abort their pregnancy, and with men who were considering going into the army during the war
in Vietnam. From these interviews, she came up with a theory of how women and
men differed on stages of moral development.She published her first and most famous book entitled In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development.In her book she talked about her new psychology for women that said asked four questions about women's voices:" who is speaking, in what body, telling what story, and in what cultural framework is the story presented?" This the major part of her involvement in the feminist movement. She additionally completed research on the development of boys and girls through several studies over the years.
in Vietnam. From these interviews, she came up with a theory of how women and
men differed on stages of moral development.She published her first and most famous book entitled In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development.In her book she talked about her new psychology for women that said asked four questions about women's voices:" who is speaking, in what body, telling what story, and in what cultural framework is the story presented?" This the major part of her involvement in the feminist movement. She additionally completed research on the development of boys and girls through several studies over the years.
Primary SOurce
Carol Gilligan was interviewed by Marianna Schnall on 8/7/08. The link to the transcript of their interview is listed below. In the interview, Carol highlights her beliefs that each child is born with a unique voice (boys, and girls) and then as they become adults their voice is silenced by society.Girls are influenced to keep their voice silenced because society says that their opinion is not valid. Boys silence their honest voice because society could call them "gay" or "a girl" if they show too much emotion. She states how sad it is that many women must go through suffering to realize that they have a powerful voice and have the right to use it. I find her views intriguing, because she is not only advocating for the rights of women but also for the rights of men. She believes that all people should be allowed to speak their true honest voice and not silence it in society. I think if she were interviewed in the 1960's or 1970's, she maybe would have a more strictly feminist view on things. However, since women's rights have come such a long way since then she sees a new perspective on the "patriarchal society".
Other sources
In addition to her famous book In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development, Carol Gilligan wrote several other novels, books, and lab reports pertaining to the feminist movement. Another one of her famous works is her research with/against Kohlberg (an explanation can be found in the link below). Carol Gilligan challenged Kohlberg’s theory of moral development. She argued that his theory was bad because he built it on a sample of men. He did not include the perspective of women or include deviant data. Gilligan’s claims led to widespread doubt on the credibility of Kohlberg’s research. This is another reason why Gilligan is important to the feminist movement.
Kohlberg is pictured on the left.
Kohlberg is pictured on the left.
Carol's Views and Ideas that changed the movement (Evaluation)
Carol Gilligan was considered the founder of difference feminism because of her belief that women are diferent than men in many ways. "Difference feminism means that women think, feel, and behave differently than men, but that because men are upheld as the standard, what is normal for women is therefore considered inferior to what is normal for men"(wisegeek.com). Some critics say that her theory is not true, because recent studies show that men and women think fairly similarly.Carol Gilligan had a positive impact on the feminist movement, bringing a more scientific and understandable argument to why women should have equal rights with men. Her new ideas gave men a reason to appreciate the diverstiy that women bring to the table- whether it be with their behavior, decisions, or development. Carol Gilligan was named on Times Magazine's Top 25 Most Influential Americans. Her book In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development was a top seller full of ideas revolutionary ideas.
Works Cited
"Carol Gilligan." Carol Gilligan. Web. 20 Mar. 2013.
"Carol Gilligan." Carol Gilligan. Web. 20 Mar. 2013.
Gilligan, Carol, and Kohlberg. "Implications for Moral Theory." University of Chicago Press, Web. 20 Mar. 2013.
Gilligan, Carol. In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP,1982. Print.
Schnall, Marianne, and Carol Gilligan. "INTERVIEW WITH CAROL GILLIGAN BY MARIANNE SCHNALL." INTERVIEW WITH CAROL GILLIGAN BY MARIANNE SCHNALL. Web. 20 Mar. 2013.
"Carol Gilligan." Carol Gilligan. Web. 20 Mar. 2013.
Gilligan, Carol, and Kohlberg. "Implications for Moral Theory." University of Chicago Press, Web. 20 Mar. 2013.
Gilligan, Carol. In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP,1982. Print.
Schnall, Marianne, and Carol Gilligan. "INTERVIEW WITH CAROL GILLIGAN BY MARIANNE SCHNALL." INTERVIEW WITH CAROL GILLIGAN BY MARIANNE SCHNALL. Web. 20 Mar. 2013.