F EMINIST E THICS By:Scott Kocos Shannon Biesenthal

WHAT IS IT? The goal of gender-equal, not gender-neutral ethics An ethical theory which promotes non-sexist principles, policies, and practices

What Is It? (Continued) Feminist ethics is an attempt to: Highlight differences between how males and females interpret situations Help humans deal with rising dilemmas in private and public Deconstruct any ethic that systematically subordinates women

Differences in Men’s Moral Voices and Women’s Moral Voices Men Justice Rights Treating everyone fairly and the same Apply rules impartially to everyone Responsibility toward abstract codes of conduct

Differences in Moral Voices (Continued) Women Care Responsibility Caring about other’s suffering Preserve emotional connectedness Responsibility toward real individuals

Why Must We Do This? Western ethics failed women in five inter related ways: 1.It showed less concern for women’s rights than men’s 2.It dismissed ethically uninteresting problems arising in the “private world,” 3.It implies women are not as ethically developed as men

Why Must We Do This? (Continued) 4.It prizes masculine traits and exhibits little regard for feminine traits 5.It favors culturally masculine approaches to ethical reasoning

When Did This Start?? The first push for Feminism was in the late 1700’s The late 1800’s saw the start of women voting

Who Contributed?? Mary Wollstonecraft (April 27, 1759 – September 10, 1797) concluded that moral virtue is unitary denied women are doomed to be less virtuous Women having strong sexual desires was degrading and immoral

Wollstonecraft (Continued) Called the mother of feminism Honored women’s natural talents Insisted that women not be measured by men’s standards Helped achieve a better life for everyone

John Stuart Mill Believed in equal education for women Women are educated to serve the interests of men First considered radical, now seen as classic statement of liberal feminism

Criticisms of Feminism Care is a less important moral virtue than justice When care and justice conflict: Impartiality has to trump partiality No person is more or less important than any other

Criticisms (Continued) If women care better than men, it’s wrong to relate women with value of care It makes care more important than anything else

Current Ethical Dilemma Stay-at-home moms vs. stay-at- home dads Stay-at-home dads are seen as working from the home Stay-at-home moms are seen as caregivers for the kids

Some Questions What other current day situations have to do with Feminism? Why do some individuals recognize a higher moral law, while others simply are content to obey the rules without question? Do teachers, judges, elected officials, doctors, and others make decisions based off of care vs. justice?

Thanks For Listening!!!!