The effects of sex, sex-role, and type of moral dilemma on moral maturity and moral orientation

In the context of Kohlberg's and Gilligan's theories of moral development and moral orientation, Study 1 deals with two questions: (a) are there sex or sex-role differences in moral maturity and moral orientation, and (b) does the content of dilemmas affect moral maturity or moral orientation independently from or in interaction with sex or sex-role? One hundred and ten undergraduates at a large university responded to a short form of Kohlberg's test, one impersonal and one personal real-life dilemma, and the Personal Attributes Questionnaire. The issue of dilemma content was explored as an explanation for the observed differences: females reported more care-oriented personal real-life conflicts than males. In Study 2, 30 males and 30 females rated exemplars of real-life conflicts from those reported in Study 1. It is suggested that types of dilemma affect moral maturity and moral orientation more than types of people (sex or sex-role), but that males and females differ in the types of personal real-life conflict they report. As the results on dilemma significance only partially explain the sex differences observed, future research aimed at examining the nature of the interaction between sex and type of dilemma is encouraged. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...