Feminist Ethics

Feminist ethics is a diverse set of gender-focused approaches to ethical theory and practice. The primary aims of feminist ethics are (1) to examine the traits, virtues, and values that have been culturally tied to women worldwide, but particularly in the Western world; and (2) to determine whether they have been wrongly assessed and underused by much of traditional (Western) ethical thought. According to philosopher Alison M. Jaggar, many schools of traditional (Western) ethics fail women in five interrelated ways. First, they focus far more on men's issues, interests, and rights than on women's. Second, they approach problems that arise in the private or domestic realm as morally uninteresting or trivial. Third, they imply that for a variety of biological as well as social reasons, ...