The following plot displays two curves that represent the number of men and women who received the death penalty in the United States over the years 1973 to 1995. You can view the data and experiment with it yourself.
There does seem to be a large difference. Take a closer look at the situation in the following table. The first column represents the number of convicted murderers in the United States who received the death penalty but were not (or have not yet been) executed. The second column represents the number of convicted murders in the United States who were executed.
| Received Death Sentence | Number Executed | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 5,154 Expected: 5,159 | 313 Expected: 308 | 5,467 |
| Women | 112 Expected: 107 | 1 Expected: 6 | 113 |
| Total | 5,266 | 314 | 5,580 |
The resulting Chi-Square value is 4.015, which is significant at the 0.05 level. Thus, there does seem to be a difference between the sexes in the number of executions. The following chart summarizes the data graphically. The last bar in the bar chart is too small to be noticeable due to its small value.
Why is this difference important? Whether you are opposed to or in favor of capital punishment, the previous quote from Justice Blackmun seems to be a fair statement: if a country is to enforce a death penalty, it should be enforced without prejudice.
This question puts equal rights in a different light that can result in a confusing and emotional issue. Some believe that this situation shows that US society treats women as if they are less responsible for themselves or their actions than are men. However, note that the situation is complicated and this project presents a simplified view of the data. You may find the following sites useful for further exploration of the data.