Psychoanalytic And Care Feminism Essay

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Psychoanalytic & Care Feminisms Essay
For a majority of the course thus far, we have focused on how women’s oppression has been either socially, politically, or economically rooted in our society. With that being said, today, I will be taking an entirely different approach to the issue of women’s oppression. Instead of focusing on the superficial aspects of society that influence said oppression, I will be analyzing the biological and psychological influences. Throughout this essay, I will be exploring a theory associated with gender feminism, while using abortion an as example. Specifically, I will be focusing on the two models of decision making in gender feminism; the ethics of justice and the ethics of care. Also, I will be referencing the literary works of two well-known feminist theories – Carol Gilligan and Rosemarie Tong – to help further delve into gender feminism.
As I stated before, unlike many of the other feminist theories I have …show more content…

In her work Justice and Care: Essential Readings in Feminist Ethics, Carol Gilligan discusses her own theory regarding moral development and the role different parenting models play in it. According to Gilligan, the gender binary in our parenting styles has lead to two very distinctive models of decision-making; the ethics (morality) of care and the ethics (morality) of justice. The ethics of care stresses the wants, needs, and interests of particular people. The ethics of justice stresses justice, fairness, and rights (Tong, 2009, Pg. 154). As I previously stated, within the theory of moral development emphasis is placed on separation and autonomy for men and connectedness and relationships for women. Therefore, men identify most with the ethics of justice, while women identify most with the ethics of care. The topic of abortion adequately demonstrates both of Gilligan’s proposed models of decision