Rating: 
Summary: Every intellectual should read this
Review: This book articulates the reason for modern myths of sucessful women such as our "minipulative ways." Gilligan has done unique research which she presents in an approachable way.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Start that Needs Finishing
Review: This book challenges the traditional male dominated paradigm of moral and personal development. The hypothesis is interesting and worthy of consideration-- that instead of seeing women as inferior to men on the scales that men develop, we should learn to listen to the voices of women after they have been liberated to speak for themselves. Instead of insisting on individuation and impersonal moral principles, we need to see that maturing women will weave a morality based on the continuing texture of relationships and the ethics of caring.The only major flaw I see in her analysis is the insufficient empirical study base. The vast majority of her findings appear to come from interviews of 29 women, hardly a cross section of women facing the issues of moral dilemmas (in this case, the abortion decision). It may turn out that her findings resonate within the larger society, but based on the research presented in this book, it lacks the empirical strength that is required of the kinds of generalizations she is making. She admits such in the fourth chapter. Additionally, at first she seems to want to replace the Kohlberg taxonomy, yet the one she offers is not so much a replacement as it is a revision by addition. Nonetheless, the book is valuable for the questions it poses, and should be read.
Rating:
Summary: Groundbreaking Research -- still relevant
Review: When Carol Gilligan's book was first published, it stood the male-dominated world of psychology on its head. This is seminal research, still very relevant to any serious student of gender issues. It's an essential work, precisely because it sparked such a furious debate. Don't let others tell you about it. Read it and judge for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Groundbreaking Research -- still relevant
Review: When Carol Gilligan's book was first published, it stood the male-dominated world of psychology on its head. This is seminal research, still very relevant to any serious student of gender issues. It's an essential work, precisely because it sparked such a furious debate. Don't let others tell you about it. Read it and judge for yourself.
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