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Unit 5 Stereotypes-2 What are the dangers of gender stereotyping? Is it
Gender differences and stereotyping
Introduction about gender stereotypes
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The idea that women and men think differently is as old as time. This idea has traditionally been used to justify discrimination against women. A famous ancient Greek philosopher by the name of Aristotle once said that women are not as rational as men, and so they are naturally ruled by men. The German philosopher Immanuel Kant agreed with this point, adding that women "have no civil personality, and their existence is, so to speak, purely inherent." (Anne Philips, p. 108). He went on to say that they should have no voice in public life either. Jena-Jacques Rousseau who was a Genevan philosopher tried to put a good face on this by emphasizing that women and men merely possess different virtues. Undoubtable thought, it turned out that men's …show more content…
This is because male partiality is present in most ethical theories, because most ethical theories where created by males. Gilligan also examines the male justice perspective stating that the male moral perspective of justice is essentially rooted in rules and principles, often denning the role of emotions and feelings. However the female moral perspective of care concerns emotions and feelings like sympathy, compassion, and love. Gilligan believes that individuals tend to make ethical decisions based on just one ethical perspective, even if they are familiar with both. Males using principal, although they are aware of feeling and emotion, and females using emotions, although they are aware of principals and rules. To explain how two perspectives can coexist in parallel, Gilligan uses the example of the ambiguous figure, a well-known phenomenon of visual perception. While looking at a drawing, for example, one person might see a vase, while another might see two profiles of a face. Although to different images are being perceived, it is nearly impossible to see both images at the same time. Gilligan goes on to say that eventually an individual will probably be able to see both the profiles of the face and a vase as well. However one view will still remain more compelling than the other. That is why while making an ethical decision, one might favor one ethical perspective over …show more content…
Men’s morality for instance is often seen in terms of benefiting others, reasoning that they ought to do what is in the best interest of those involved in a particular case. Their primary requirement is not to act impartiality, or unfairly, and respectfulness is a key virtue. On the other hand, women’s morality is highly personal. Their primary moral obligation is to help others, and not turn away from those in need, and to prevent further ham to such individuals. Compassion and caring are key virtues in their morality. According to psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg, the highest stage of moral development is when an adult can be governed by personal moral principles and a sense of justice, and not by social pressure. Kohlberg’s theory finds that women often do not reach this stage of development. Therefore he judged them to be morally deficient or morally underdeveloped. Freud, another well-known psychologist, believed that woman often base their morality on causes about personal relationships rather than a sense of justice. He believed this was a lesser form of morality, thus concluding that woman are morally inferior to men. There have been several variations to the research psychologist have done over time. It is believed that any difference between women’s and men’s morality can be accounted by experience and social status, and not by their gender. Therefore ethics of care is a viable and valuable
...t; This quote gives men more worth and respect than women, which is consistent with the feelings words women during this time.
“On the Equality of the Sexes” began with arguing against the idea that woman were not mentally equal to men in all areas.
Contemporary feminists have a big problem with traditional ethical theories because of their basis that women can never be fully moral. Traditional ethical theories suggest that an excess of emotion indicates a deficiency of reason. This could not be farther from the truth for lack of emotion is not a requirement for rational reasoning. Traditional ethical theories do not accept the morality of reasoning. For example, the Kantian categorical imperative asks us to reject reason and be completely impartial while calculating morality. In conclusion contemporary feminists have made much progress in transforming the gender hierarchy of traditional ethical theories a...
(Slide 3). Gilligan argues how women have initiated another way of looking at ethics. Gilligan pointed out that there are two types of moral reasoning’s. Male ethics are of justice and female ethics of care. The ethics of care for women is directed to the respond of the needs of others in complicated situations. This approach mainly involves concepts like having compassion, relationships, and responsibilities. (Slide 18). Ethics of justice thinks that the situation is important in determining how it should be treated. Men base justice on rights, applying the rules to everyone and responsibility goes toward codes of conduct. (Slide 19). Male perspectives are held more publicly and are concrete on rights of law. Women on the other hand perceive things as a private
Some men believe women are inferior to the male species; however, that is not the case. Both men and women are both capable of achieving greatness if given half the chance to do so, unfortunately, this means equality. In “From A Vindication of the Rights of Women”, Mary Wollstonecraft dispenses her thoughts on how unfairly women are treated in the 1700s, in addition to expressing her opinion on the issue in her essay. Wollstonecraft stated that “Men and women must be educated, in a great degree, by the opinions and manners of the society they live in.”, this statement is very true, no matter what times you are living in. Women are unique and equal creatures that can offer many things to society if given the same proper education and training
Throughout history, the role of women in society has caused arguments which resulted in the discretization of women’s intelligence, imagination, reason, and judgment (Murray 740). Women were forced to feel inferior because of men’s “natural rights,” resulting in the mental superiority of men. With the confinements of society ever on a woman’s threshold, came the inability to express thoughts and emotions without suffering ridicule from their male counterparts. Some critics suggest that the “inalienable rights… [such as] life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” were not simply taken away from women without consent, but they were rights never achievable for women at all (Deceleration of Independence). One critic, Judith Sargent Murray, a feminist of her day, advocates the rights of women on the grounds of social, political, and economic equality to men in her essay “On the Equality of Sexes.”
Cultural meanings of gender can play heavily into therapeutic effects of the client. A female client who is in therapy with her male partner may not have the “right” to speak against what he is saying if she disagrees; some cultures forbid the woman to go against her male partner or even speak in the presence of a male stranger, which could be the clinician. On the other hand, a male client with the above cultural custom may view a female clinician in a nega...
"Women were denied knowledge of their history, and thus each woman had to argue as though no woman before her had ever thought or written. Women had to use their energy to reinvent the wheel, over and over again, generation after generation. ... thinking women of each generation had to waste their time, energy and talent on constructing their argument anew. Generation after generation, in the face of recurrent discontinuities, women thought their way around and out from under patriarchal thought." (Lerner qtd in Merrim Modern Women xxiii)
We [women] are, as a sex, infinitely superior to men." Elizabeth Stanton (prominent woman suffragist) - (excerpted from One Woman, One Vote by Wheeler, pg. 58) "Frailty, thy name is woman." William Shakespeare - (excerpted from Hamlet, Act I, scene 2) This quote made by Stanton in 1890 shows many of the feministic beliefs held by the women of today. And the quote made by Shakespeare holds many of the same thoughts shared by men. The battle of the sexes is prevalent everywhere and is applicable to anything.
At times in a person’s life, they might come across a few situations that leave them with a major decision between two or more options that challenge what they believe or what they might think is wrong or right. These are known as ethical dilemmas. Be it seeing a friend steal something and choosing between being honest and speaking up or letting it go. It can also be getting paid more than you earned and deciding if you’re going to be greedy and keep the money or return it. We run into these situations in our lives, some bigger and more influential on our destiny’s while others are small with no real consequences.
An ethical dilemma is only examined in a situation which has the following conditions; the first condition takes place in a situation, when an individual has to make a decision on which course of action is best. The second condition is there must be more than one course of action to choose from. The third action is no matter what course of action is taken, certain ethical principles are conceded. In other terms, there is no perfect result. When defining what forms an ethical dilemma, it is important to make a division between ethics, morals, values, laws and policies.
Carol Gilligan is one of the first to address gender differences in psychology. She argued that the sexes think differently, notably when dealing with moral problems.Her most popular addition to modern psychology was her rework of Lawrence Kohlberg 's theory of moral development. Gilligan challenged that differences were based on social influences and gender attitude, this often disesteemed women 's way of thinking. With her theories of female moral development and decision-making, she focused on studies in both children and college students. While there has been criticism of her works, Carol Gilligan has changed the modern psychology with her feminist views. She has paved the women in the field and the research of psychology
Many ethical dilemmas are philosophical in nature, an ethical issue can be described as a problem with no clear resolution. In order to solve the issue or dilemma a consensus between the parties involved must be reached. There are several reasons to come to an agreement over an ethical dilemma, it is the basis for all aspects of personal and professional dealings. Each one of us is part of a civilized society and as such it is our responsibility to be rational, honest and loyal in our dealings with others. (Alakavuklar, 2012) states that individuals make decisions for different situations in business life involving various ethical dilemmas. Each time either consciously or unconsciously individuals may follow some ethical approaches
Kohlberg’s theory of the stages of moral development has gained some popularity despite being controversial. The claim that the levels form a “ladder,” the bottom being the immature child with a pre-conventional level and the top being a post conventional ethical individual. The sequence is unvarying and the subject must begin at the bottom with aspirations to reach the top, possibly doing so. (7) Research confirms that individuals from different cultures actually progress according to Kohlbergs theory, at least to the conventional level. Kohlberg’s stages of moral development continue to provide a foundation for psychology studies of moral reasoning. (6)
Kohlberg, L. (1984). The psychology of moral development: the nature and validity of moral stages. San Francisco: Harper & Row.