Gender, Moral “Voices,” and the Making of Environmental Policy: A Case Study in Norway's Ministry of Environment

Abstract

This study asks whether gender influences the ethical reasoning of professional policymakers in a governmental organization. Ten senior policy advisers in the Norwegian Ministry of Environment were interviewed. The results indicate the following: (1) male poticy-makers favored balancing competing rights in ethical reasoning, while women favored a strategy of response to the needs of affected parties, particularly children; (2) women were more likely to see emotion as an important component of an effective policy-making process, while men either did not address it or found it a negative influence; and (3) women more often than men perceived gender as an important factor in work at the ministry.