Feminist Ethics

Feminist ethics is not a theory of ethics in and of itself. Rather, it is a critical approach to the study and interpretation of traditional, Western ethical theories as well as a set of assumptions for building new ethical theories. In the first instance, feminist ethics turns a critical eye toward the assumptions and principles embedded in traditional ethical theories. In the second instance, feminist ethics starts with claims about sex and gender, oppression and patriarchy, and the lived experience of women or other marginalized groups to build ethical theories. In both instances, there is a focus on women as a distinct social group. For example, feminist ethics may point to the way in which deontological ethical theories prize reason and rational deliberation over emotional ...