Death penalty: A masculine power struggle

Abstract

The death penalty sentence in the United States is disproportionally applied to men and women. This thesis examines the societal constructs surrounding gender and the death penalty. First examined is how gender stereotypes affect the judicial processes from the state trial cases to Supreme Court cases. Then an analysis is performed on the variation in how many men and women commit capital crimes and how many are sentenced the death penalty. Ultimately, men are executed more than women for societal reasons beyond that they commit more crimes.