GS4 · 10 marks · 150 words

Do you agree with feminist ethicists that women are "more emotional" and prioritise relationships over rules, reflecting different yet equally valuable ethical perspectives? Justify your viewpoints with suitable examples.

Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2024–2025

Syllabus: Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in-human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics - in private and public relationships. Human Values - lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family society and educational institutions in inculcating values.

How toppers approached it

From all 3 answers · about 140 words.

Opening

  • No separate opening3 of 3

Body

  • Points2 of 3
  • Continuous prose1 of 3

Close

  • No separate close2 of 3
  • A summary1 of 3

The toppers’ answers

Diksha RaiAIR 40 · CSE 2025 · 164 wordsTheir whole copy

Opening

Feminist ethicists such as Carol Gilligan's ethics of care propound that female prioritise relationships and emotional aspects towards ethical judgements.

Body · points

Women, through social conditioning and gendered expectations are made to develop a personality which is supposed to be docile and emotional.

Stereotypes, entrenched sexism and patriarchal institutions further fuels this cycle of self fulfilling prophecy.

Thus due to subtle nudges and socialisation women are thought to be companionate, emotional and one who giving more importance to relationships.

While men are considered to be bold, courageous, conservative and less emotional.

Although, this might be true to an extent but it is unfair and narrow approach towards understanding morality and ethics which is much more relative and complex.

Thus according to me one's approach towards ethics and morality does gets influenced by factors attributable to one's gender but can't be explained fully only due to them.

Close

Examples like Kiran Bedi (IPS), Sanjukta Parashar (IPS), IAS Durgashakti Nagpal, Matangini Hazra and numerous others, warn against such generalisation.

More on Dimensions of Ethics

What ethics is and how it is divided: descriptive, normative and applied ethics, the essence and determinants of ethical action, consequences of ethics in human action.

All GS4 questions on Dimensions of Ethics