Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory has been critiqued by Carol Gilligan for :

The correct answer is ignoring gender differences in moral reasoning.

Lawrence Kohlberg developed a stage theory of moral development based primarily on interviews conducted with male participants using hypothetical moral dilemmas (such as the Heinz dilemma). Based on these male responses, Kohlberg proposed six stages of moral development.

Carol Gilligan critiqued Kohlberg's theory on the grounds of gender bias. She argued that Kohlberg’s framework was derived entirely from male samples and implicitly favored male modes of moral reasoning (which emphasize justice, rules, rights, and individual autonomy) over female modes of moral reasoning (which emphasize care, relationships, responsibility, and empathy for others).

Because of this androcentric bias, female participants often scored lower on Kohlberg’s scale (typically at Stage 3, focused on interpersonal harmony) compared to males (who more often scored at Stage 4 or higher, focused on abstract justice and societal rules). Gilligan contended that this did not indicate moral inferiority in women, but rather that Kohlberg’s theory ignored gender differences in moral development and failed to recognize the ethics of care as a distinct, equally valid moral perspective.