Gender and Dilemma Differences in Real-Life Moral Judgment

• Published in: Developmental psychology 1996-03, Vol.32 (2), p.220-230
• Main Authors: Wark, Gillian R, Krebs, Dennis L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Biological and medical sciences; College Students; Developmental psychology; Dilemma Discussion Approach; Dilemmas; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gender differences; Gender Identity; Gilligan (Carol); Human; Human Sex Differences; Kohlberg (Lawrence); Moral Development; Moral Judgment; Moral judgments; Moral Values; Morality; Personal Attributes Questionnaire; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Relationship; Sex Differences; Sex roles; Sexes; Value Judgment; Young Adults
• ISSN: 0012-1649; 1939-0599
• DOI: 10.1037/0012-1649.32.2.220

The authors investigated the effects of gender, gender role, and type of moral dilemma on moral maturity and moral orientation. Fifty-five female and 55 male university students were given the Personal Attributes Questionnaire ( J. T. Spence & R. L. Helmreich, 1978 ), L. Kohlberg's test of moral judgment, and instructions to discuss a personal and impersonal real-life moral dilemma. Moral stage, moral orientation, and the relation between them varied across dilemmas. Females were more consistent than males in moral stage; males were more consistent in moral orientation. Females made higher stage and more care-based moral judgments than males made on personal real-life dilemmas. The observed variations occurred primarily because males reported more Stage 2, justice-pulling antisocial dilemmas than females, and females reported more Stage 3, care-pulling prosocial dilemmas than males. A more interactional model of moral judgment than the models of L. Kohlberg and C. Gilligan is recommended.