ed to subjects of both sexes, for the purpose of determining whether a difference in perspective exists. Some studies have been specifically designed to test Gilligan's hypothesis. In one very typical experiment, Jake and Amy, two eleven-year-olds have been faced with the following moral dilemma "...a man named Heinz considers whether or not to steal a drug which he cannot afford to buy in order to save the life of his wife." (In a Different Voice - Psychological Theory and Women's Development; Carol Gilligan; Pub. Harvard University Press, 1982) Jake decided very quickly that Heinz should steal the drug. He took a rational approach by mathematically weighing the value of human life over property. Relying on a social consensus on moral values, Jake decided that stealing the drug would be 'the right thing to do'. Amy's response, on the other hand, was rather evasive and illustrates a failure of simple logical deduction. She held that Heinz should not steal the drug, but that his wife should not die either. While Jake's contemplation regarded the autonomous individual's moral duty, Amy's perspective focused on relationship--if Heinz goes to jail, his wife may die; Heinz should talk it out with his wife and they could try to borrow the money for the drug. Jake adhered to public standards, while Amy responded to particular private circumstances. This is a pattern that has been identified statistically in empirical data collected on children, adolescents and adults at various economic levels. Such a comprehensive study has revealed a difference in men's and women's considerations for rights and responsibilities (Mapping of the Moral Domain; Ed. by C. Gilligan, J. V. Ward, J. McLean Taylor, B. Bardige; Pub. Harvard University Press, 1988). Namely, all men interviewed employed considerations of rights, but 36 percent omitted considerations of responsibility. Similarly, all women employed considerations of response to need, but 37 percent faile...
