Final answer:
True, Carol Gilligan critiqued the male bias in moral development research, such as Kohlberg's theory, proposing that men and women have different perspectives on morality due to socialization differences. Her work led to the development of care ethics.
Step-by-step explanation:
True, Carol Gilligan's work did criticize what she perceived to be the male bias in traditional research on moral development, particularly in Lawrence Kohlberg's theory. Gilligan's theory of moral development posits that men and women may approach moral decisions differently, challenging the universality of Kohlberg's stages of moral development. She observed that boys tend to adopt a justice perspective, emphasizing rules and laws, while girls often embody a care and responsibility perspective, taking into account people's reasons behind their actions. Despite the initial acclaim, her work faced criticism for small sample size and lack of replicable results. Furthermore, Gilligan's observation points more towards socialization differences between genders rather than intrinsic differences in moral development.
Gilligan's research contributed to the emergence of care ethics, which contrasts the justice-focused approach traditionally associated with men, with an ethic of care associated with women. This ethic values relationships, caring for others, and responsibility. However, she did not argue that one perspective was superior to the other but rather that they serve different purposes in society.