Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP14067
Authors: Anna L Bindler; Randi Hjalmarsson
Abstract: We document persistent gender gaps favoring females in jury convictions and judge sentences in nearly 200 years of London trials, which are unexplained by case characteristics. We find that three sharp changes in punishment severity locally affected the size and nature of the gaps, but were generally not strong enough to offset their persistence. These local effects suggest a mechanism of taste-based discrimination (paternalism) where the all-male judiciary protected females from the harshest available punishment.
Keywords: gender; gender gap; crime; verdict; sentencing; discrimination; history
JEL Codes: J16; K14; K40; N33
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| judicial decisions (K41) | gender gap in jury convictions and judge sentences (J16) |
| American Revolution (N41) | gender gap in convictions (J16) |
| introduction of prison as punishment (K14) | gender gap in convictions (J16) |
| abolition of capital punishment (K14) | gender gap in convictions for violent offenses (J16) |
| abolition of transportation (R41) | sentencing outcomes (K40) |
| taste-based discrimination (J71) | judicial decisions (K41) |