Gender Differences in Occupational Attitudes Among Slovak Police

Abstract

Gender differences in policing have drawn some research attention over the past three decades. Very little, however, is known about the possible attitudinal distinctions between female and male police officers in non—English-speaking countries. This study seeks to make a contribution to this line of research by analyzing attitudinal differences between male and female officers in Slovakia. Using survey data collected from 250 police officers in several Slovak police regions, this research empirically assesses male and female officers’ attitudes toward police role, community policing, and work obstacles. The results indicate that Slovak female and male officers do not differ much in their attitudes toward police roles and community policing. Slovak female officers are more likely to report having limited promotion opportunity but less likely to express higher levels of work—family conflict than their male counterparts. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.