Chapter 9

Feminist Thought &

The Ethics of Care
Feminist

“We might use the term feminist to describe those who

are concerned about the well being of women, while
being critical of the unequal treatment and violence
that afflict women.”

Feminism
“An intellectual commitment and a political movement
that seeks justice for women and the end of sexism in
all forms.”
Feminism and Ethics

Feminism shows up in ethical theory as a critique of the

traditional approach to ethics, which is primarily
focused on values such as autonomy, impartiality, and
neutrality.

This criticism argues that these are patriarchal values…

stressed by male-dominant cultures, which
downplay the importance of concrete caring
relationships.
Such caring relationships are typical of the private
sphere and family life—those parts of life that are
viewed as being feminine (as opposed to the masculine
and patriarchal public sphere).
In Carol Gilligan’s studies, conducted in the 1970s,
a hypothetical situation was posed to two eleven year-
old children, Jake and Amy.

Think about this…

A man’s wife was extremely ill and in danger of dying.

A certain drug might save her life, but the man could
not afford it, in part because the druggist had set an
unreasonably high price for it. The question was
whether the man should steal the drug?
Jake’s answer…

• Thought about it as a choice between the relative

value of the woman’s life and the druggist’s right to
his property.

• He concluded that the man should steal the drug

because he calculated that the woman’s life was
worth more
Amy’s answer…

• She wondered what would happen to both the man

and his wife if he stole the drug. If he stole the drug,
he might save his wife then, but if he did, he might
have to go to jail, and then his wife might get sicker
again

• If the husband and wife talked about this they might

be able to think of some other way out of the
dilemma.
Another example…

• The religious views of two kids differed from those

of their parents.

• The male said that he had a right to his own opinions,

though he respected his parents’ views.

• The female said that she was concerned about how

her parents would react to her view. But “they really
ought to listen to me and try to understand my
beliefs.”
The male spoke in terms of an individual’s right to his
own opinions…

while the female talked of the need for the particular

people involved to talk with and come to understand
one another.
The context for women’s moral decision making is said to be one of
relatedness.

Women are supposedly more concerned about particular people and

their relations and how they will be affected by some action.

Women stress the concrete experiences of this or that event and are
concerned about the real harm that might befall a particular person or
persons.

Women are able to empathize with others and are concerned about how
they might feel

They believe that moral problems can be solved by talking about them
and by trying to understand others’ perspectives
Caring and compassion are key virtues.

From this insight comes the

Ethics of Care,
expounded by Nel Noddings.
• Caring relationships are important from the standpoint of
evolution—as a mother’s care for her children promotes
their survival, and emotional and moral health.

• We all have a natural desire to be cared for—and that we

have the ability to provide care.

• We find ourselves embedded in family and social contexts

that create networks of care.

• These networks and relationships are not primarily

governed by abstract rules; rather, they depend upon the
needs and relations of the individuals.
• According to Noddings, care is two-sided: it involves
a complex interplay between the carer and the cared-
for.

• It involves motivational displacement, where the

needs of the other overwhelm us, as in a mother’s
physical reaction to the crying of her infant child.

• The deep connections of care are psychologically and

morally important for human flourishing and that
society would be better if it promoted caring
relationships through education and institutional
design.
The supposedly typical male moral perspective contrasts sharply
with a feminine ethics of care…

• In this view, men take a more universal and impartial standpoint

in reasoning about what is morally good and bad.

• Men are more inclined to talk in term of fairness, justice, and

rights.

• They ask about the overall effects of some action and whether
the good effects, when all are considered, outweigh the bad.

• It is as though they think moral decisions ought to be made

impersonally or from some unbiased and detached point of view