Abstract
Legal theorists who believe there is an “ethic of care” which imbues a female problem-solving methodology have asked whether the entry of women into the legal profession will change the nature of law practice. Feminist scholars have contrasted “female methodology” to traditional legal problem solving and defined the former as taking into account the context of the problem rather than relying on formal procedure and rules; being con- scious of the ongoing relationships of the parties rather than simply relying on a rights-based analysis; and being holistic in developing creative solutions rather than assuming polar results. There is debate over the cause of the ethic of care, whether it is universally applicable to women other than white, middle-class, heterosexual women, and whether it is in women’s best interest to advocate that an ethic of care exists. This last question arises because the ethic of care assumes that female is different from-male, and some theorists fear “different” connotes “inferior.”