Policing and Gender: Male and Female Perspectives among Members of the New Zealand Police

Abstract

This study examines possible gender differences among personnel of the New Zealand Police (NZP). Prior research suggests that male and female officers may have similar workplace perceptions. Therefore, two questions guide this study: (a) In terms of perceptions of the workplace, including job satisfaction, level of perceived support, and fairness of their supervisors, are female and male sworn officers in the NZP more like each other or their same-gender nonsworn cohort? (b) What are the effects of variables such as ethnicity, age, length of service, type of work assignment, work location, and orientations toward policing on the relationships between perceptions of the workplace, gender, and sworn status? The analyses suggest that although the men and women who provide policing services in New Zealand have many similar views on policing, their perspectives are due to some what different sets of forces. The policy implications of the findings are also addressed.