Carol Gilligan - Background and Career

Background and Career

Carol Gilligan was raised in a Jewish family in New York City. She was the only child of a lawyer, William Friedman, and nursery school teacher, Mabel Caminez. She played piano and pursued a career in modern dance during her graduate studies. Gilligan received her B.A. summa cum laude in English literature from Swarthmore College, a master's degree in clinical psychology from Radcliffe College, and a Ph.D. in social psychology from Harvard University.

She began her teaching career at Harvard University in 1967, receiving tenure with the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1988. Gilligan taught for two years at the University of Cambridge (from 1992–1994) as the Pitt Professor of American History and Institutions. In 1997, she was appointed to the Patricia Albjerg Graham Chair in Gender Studies.

Gilligan left Harvard in 2002 to join New York University as a full professor with the School of Education and the School of Law. She is currently a visiting professor with the University of Cambridge (Centre for Gender Studies).

She is married to James Gilligan, M.D., who directed the Center for the Study of Violence at Harvard Medical School.