Carol Gilligan’s critique to androcentrism and sexism in psychology and scientific production

Abstract

This is the presentation of partial results of a completed research funded by the Foundation for Research Support of the State of São Paulo (FAPESP). The objective was to reflect on Carol Gilligan's work in terms of her criticisms of psychological theories of development, especially Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of moral development, arguing that they retained a masculinizing bias. She came into contact with books, chapters from collections and articles authored by Gilligan that address the criticisms made by the author, the main one of these bibliographical materials being her book In a Different Voice, published in 1982. It is noteworthy that Gilligan questioned the validity of Kohlberg's theory by arguing that women develop morally different from men, as they would be guided by what he called the Ethics of Care, while they would be guided by the Ethics of Justice. Gilligan's critiques are considered revolutionary for the field of Psychology of Moral Development, in addition to Psychology and Science in general, and with avant-garde implications for the feminist thought of her time. It concludes about the importance of Gilligan in the way of doing Science, regarding the null participation of women in sample data and considerations about female development.