Is there a gender difference when it comes to ethical behaviour? This question is investigated by Dr Carol Gillian in her work In A Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development (1982). It examines Kohlberg’s moral reasoning scale and suggests that there may be a bias towards scoring on his test that tends towards different results for men and women.

Through conducting interviews for the book, she suggests that the difference between men and women’s results may be due to women’s valuing connecting with community and relationships, while men vale impartiality, independence and rights. The difference between the ‘ethic of care’ and ‘ethic of justice’ is debated, as is the validity of Kohlberg’s original testing, but whether ethics do focus on different aspects and whether gender, culture or time influence ethical standards is an ongoing discussion.