The inner sense that helps you know what is right and wrong and makes you feel guilty when you do something you believe is wrong.
From Latin *conscientia*, meaning "knowledge with oneself" (*con-* "with" + *scientia* "knowledge"). It originally meant shared knowledge, either with other people or with God.
Your conscience is like a built‑in conversation with yourself about your actions. The word literally means "knowing with"—as if there’s always another witness inside you, watching what you do.
Women have historically been portrayed either as moral guardians with heightened conscience in the domestic sphere or as lacking conscience when defying gender norms. Both tropes have been used to police women’s behavior and limit their public roles.
Treat ‘conscience’ as a human capacity not tied to gender; avoid gendered assumptions about who is more or less guided by conscience.
Women moral philosophers, activists, and whistleblowers have acted from conscience to challenge slavery, war, discrimination, and corruption, often against prevailing norms.
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