ABSTRACT
Throughout the twentieth century, many advocates for women have tried to use the common notion that women are more moral than men as a political tool to improve women’s standing in the public sphere. This chapter explains why the switch from “women’s morality” to a care ethic is necessary. It suggests that many of the problems of contemporary feminist theory arise from the context that has defined feminist theory. The easiest way to account for the lack of success of “women’s morality” arguments would be to assume that they are inherently flawed as arguments; that they rest upon unproven facts or unsupportable principles. The most central challenge to feminist theory is the argument that the category of “woman” is itself so suspect that any theory that assumes the existence of “women” is also suspect. Moral boundaries help to shape the theories which make sense within them. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.
