This study confirmed what the research literature has historically and consistently observed, i.e., a significant gender gap in death penalty support, with males being more inclined to support the death penalty than females. Most importantly, however, none of the 30 separate explanatory models succeeded in identifying distinctive gender-related demographic and/or socioeconomic variables that explained the persistent gender-related support levels for the death penalty. Although the authors seriously doubt that gender biological explanations can fully or even substantially account for the consistent gap in gender-related death penalty support, they acknowledge that this possibility cannot be discounted. The authors believe, however, that better measures and more complete model specifications of one or more of the five general social explanations examined in this study will likely provide a satisfactory explanation of gender differences in death penalty support. The study examined gender differences in socioeconomic status, gender inequality, gender socialization, religion/religiosity, political ideology, positions on right-to-life and other social issues, fear of crime and victimization experience, experience with the criminal justice system, philosophies of punishment, and attribution styles. 7 tables, 3 notes, and 50 references