[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Medical ethics](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/) › [Foundations of bioethics](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/areas/foundations/) › The ethics of care # The ethics of care - Theory The ethics of care puts relationships, dependency and concrete attention to each person's needs at the centre. Updated Nov 13, 2026 ## Key points - Gilligan (1982): critiques Kohlberg and describes a morality of responsibility and relationships alongside the morality of rights. - Noddings (1984): care is attending to the needs of a concrete person within a relationship. - Kittay: everyone is dependent at some point; carers also become vulnerable and need support. - Central question: what does this person need, and who answers for them? - Main criticism: it can neglect strangers and impartiality, or load care onto the same people. ## What it is The ethics of care emerged in the 1980s as a critique of theories focused only on rules, rights and impartiality. Carol Gilligan (In a Different Voice, 1982) challenged Lawrence Kohlberg's model of moral development, which had rated women as less developed, and described a moral «voice» based on responsibility and relationships. Nel Noddings (Caring, 1984) described care as attention to the needs of the other within a concrete relationship. Later, Virginia Held and Joan Tronto carried care into social and political life, and Eva Kittay showed that dependency is a normal part of human life and that carers also become vulnerable. The ethics of care does not replace the principles: it adds attention to context, to moral emotions and to those who give care. This page goes deeper than the summary in «Ethical theories in brief». ## Core ideas - Relationships: people are not isolated individuals; obligations also arise from concrete bonds. - Dependency and vulnerability: illness, childhood, old age and disability are a normal part of life, not exceptions. - Attention to context: the right response depends on the person's situation, history and needs. - Moral emotions: compassion and empathy guide judgement rather than getting in its way. - Justice in care: the work of caring must be shared and supported, not always fall on the same people. ## Ethics of justice versus ethics of care | Aspect | Ethics of justice and rights | Ethics of care | | --- | --- | --- | | Question | Which rule or right applies? | What does this person need, and who answers? | | Person | Autonomous, independent individual | Person in relationship, sometimes dependent | | Method | Impartial, universal | Attentive to context and relationship | | Emotions | Kept apart from judgement | Guide moral judgement | ## In clinical practice - In palliative care, deciding with the patient and family according to their bonds and history is applying the ethics of care. - Relational autonomy recognises that many patients decide together with their family while still being the ones who decide. - Supporting the family carer (information, respite, resources) is part of the care plan, not an extra. - Taking the time needed to listen to a frightened patient is a demand of care, as well as good clinical practice. ## Criticisms and limits - It can become partial: it favours those close by and forgets duties to strangers. - Risk of exploitation: idealising care can load the work onto women and carers without support or pay. - Limited guidance: without general rules, it sometimes offers little direction in hard cases. - From disability studies comes the criticism that it focuses on the carer rather than on the control of the person receiving care. - Defenders reply that care complements justice and rights; it does not replace them. ## Test yourself Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it. ## Which theory of moral development did Carol Gilligan respond to? Lawrence Kohlberg's, which had placed women at less developed stages; Gilligan described a morality of responsibility and relationships. ## What central question does the ethics of care ask? What this concrete person needs and who answers for them, within the context of their relationships. ## What did Eva Kittay contribute to the ethics of care? She showed that dependency is a normal part of human life and that carers also become vulnerable and need support. ## What is a frequent criticism of the ethics of care? That it can favour those close by and neglect impartiality, or load the work of caring onto the same people without support. [Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/medical-ethics/the-ethics-of-care/) ## Elsewhere in DurgiPedia - [Jean Watson's theory of human caring](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/jean-watson-s-theory-of-human-caring/) - [Moral development (Kohlberg)](https://durgical.com/en/behavioral-science/moral-development/) ## Connections ## Related 4 - [Ethical theories in brief: duty, consequences, virtue, casuistry, care](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/ethical-theories-in-brief-duty-consequences-virtue-casuistry-care/) - [Virtue ethics](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/virtue-ethics/) - [The five focal virtues of the doctor and the ideal physician](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/the-five-focal-virtues-of-the-doctor-and-the-ideal-physician/) - [Ley 1733 de 2014: palliative care](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/ley-1733-de-2014-palliative-care/) [← All of medical ethics](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/) Educational content on ethics and health law; not legal advice. Laws and case law change: each page links the official text and says when it was last checked. For a real case, read the text in force and ask a lawyer or the medical ethics tribunal. Sources: [Feminist Ethics](https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-ethics/) (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2025); [Bioethics and Moral Reasoning](https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/bioethics-moral-reasoning/) (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2026). ## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/the-ethics-of-care/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/the-ethics-of-care/