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THE GENDER GAP IN CAPITAL PUNISHMENT ATTITUDES:
An Analysis of Support and Opposition^
ABSTRACT: This study examines the gender gap in attitudes toward the death penalty, including attention to global versus specific measures. The study is based on a survey in Tennessee of attitudes toward crime and criminal justice. Specifically, the study examines male and female global attitudes, attitudes toward a life without parole option, reasons that supporters and opponents give for their views, and how specific factors might change the level of support for or opposition to capital punishment. Although majorities of both genders favor capital punishment, important differences exist. Implications are discussed.
INTRODUCTION
Social scientists call the study of male-female differences the "gender gap." Researchers have found the gender gap useful in examining such diverse topics as voting behavior (Manza & Brooks, 1998; Studlar, McAllister, & Hayes, 1998), homicide victimization (Gartner, Baker, & Pampel, 1990), handgun ownership (Ludwig, Cook, & Smith, 1998), and attitudes about homosexuals (Petersen & Donnewerth, 1998). This study borrows this gender gap orientation and explores attitudes concerning capital punishment.
Understanding attitudes toward the death penalty has been an important research topic for over a decade. Although research has demonstrated that women are less supportive of capital punishment than men (Bohm, 1998; Fox, Radelet, & Bonsteel, 1991; Sandys & McGarrell, 1995), quite often there is little, if any, sophisticated analysis of the influence gender exerts. The present study attempts to illuminate gender differences in attitudes regarding the death penalty in three distinct ways. First, it goes beyond the basic examination of one-item measures and considers differences which arise with the introduction of other punishment options. Second, the current investigation probes the reasons why respondents support or oppose the death penalty. Third, the present inquiry looks at the conditions under which a respondent would change his or her stance on the death penalty.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Gender Differences
There are several explanations for gender differences in attitudes about political issues. One viewpoint particularly germane to the present inquiry is Gilligan's (1982) position that men and women have dissimilar conceptions of justice. Men are more oriented toward rights, while women are more concerned with responsiveness and caring. This starting point suggests men tend to favor capital punishment out of concern for...