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In 1982 the publication of In a Different Voice made its author Carol Gilligan a household name, particularly in the USA. Her work has changed our expectations about what men and women can offer to society and it has been quoted widely. Her findings are important to feminists, social reformers, political activists and clinicians alike.
In her first book, Gilligan's hypotheses in relation to the development of morality in girls and boys, created a huge stir. Her research on voices is largely responsible for changing the ways that many view men and women in psychological and social terms. This work gave an added meaning to gender and it articulated ideas which had been long silenced to ensure that girls approaching adolescence ‘behaved well’ and retained their required sexual attractiveness. Her research was carried out in mainstream schools and involved listening to both boys and girls. She observed that, repeatedly, developmental theories on moral development had been based on observations of men's lives. It was assumed that when women failed to develop in the way men do, something was wrong with the women. However, Gilligan stated that something must be wrong with the ‘male model’ theory of moral development with its emphasis on abstract rules in which girls were somehow deficient.
Her research demonstrated that theories of gender development had a ‘need’ for the girls to ‘normalize’ themselves according to social demands if they wanted to achieve ‘mature’ relationships with the other gender.
Gilligan argued that girls begin with a ‘selfish’ orientation but this changes in the approach to adolescence when the sense of morality diverges for both genders. In Gilligan's words female morality has a ‘responsibility orientation’ the imperative to care for others, whereas male morality has a ‘justice orientation’ and must respect the rights of others.
Her new book, Joining the Resistance, is the one that we have been waiting for since 1982. The title refers to the voice that