Students' Perceptions of Women in Policing: The Role of Media Portrayal and Representation of Policewomen

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how receptive police officers are to having women as partners and supervisors at work in a cross-national context. Specifically, it compares male and female police officers’ views on women in policing along three dimensions in Dubai and Taipei: perceived efficacy of women in policing; receptiveness of women at work (as partners and supervisor); and perceived women’s role in police work. Design/methodology/approach Surveys (with the same instrument) were conducted with 622 officers (344 male and 278 female officers) in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates and 391 officers (297 male and 94 female officers) in Taipei, Taiwan. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were employed to compare male and female officers’ views on women in policing in both countries. Findings It was found that female officers (in Dubai and Taipei) were more likely than their male colleagues to see women as capable and effective in performing police duties. Compared to their colleagues in Taiwan, the Emirati male and female officers were more likely to be supportive of women’s restricted role in policing. Dubai male officers were less likely to be receptive to working at a unit with a female as their supervisor in comparison to their female colleagues in both countries. Research limitations/implications Although this study provides important information from a cross-national perspective, caution should be taken while interpreting these findings. The gender roles embedded in Islamic cultures seem to explain Dubai officers’ favorable attitudes toward women’s restricted role in policing. Future studies should incorporate in-depth interviews to explain why officers in Dubai prefer women’s restricted roles in policing. Practical implications The statistical analyses show that officers with higher levels of confidence not only held more positive attitudes toward women in policing, but also were more receptive to having women as their partners and supervisors. It suggests that confident officers would be more open-minded and welcome the entry of women into police work. By offering training courses that enhance officers’ work confidence, police organizations in both countries might well cultivate a welcoming work environment for women. Social implications If police organizations in Taiwan and the UAE instill cultures with an emphasis less on masculine traits than on collaborative style, male officers might free themselves from traditional gender norms and become more welcoming to women who work in policing. Originality/value Previous scholarly efforts on examining different areas of women in policing have mainly focused on police officers in western countries, leaving a relative scarcity of information about how officers perceive women’s role in policing in the other parts of the globe. Female officers have to work hand in hand with male officers in policing. To enhance the efficiency of deployment and cohesion of work relationship among male and female officers, it is important to understand how male officers perceive women’s roles in policing and how receptive they are to having women as partners. Understanding their perceptions from both sides can help administrations initiate effective training and educational programs.

In light of the increased recruitment of females into the police force in Taiwan, it is important to understand officers' attitudes toward women in policing. What is the nature of such attitudes? Are male and female officers equally receptive to gender integration in policing? Using data gathered from 391 police officers (297 males and 94 females) in the metropolitan area of Taipei, this study compared male and female officers' attitudes toward women in policing and gender role orientations. The findings indicated that male officers significantly differed from their female colleagues in several attitudinal dimensions. The findings revealed that although male officers cast doubts on female officers' capability and efficacy as police officers, they considered equal treatment to be essential – that is, female officers should perform exactly the same or similar duties as male officers. Moreover, officers who were in supervisory positions were more likely to support gender integration, and those officers who had more confidence in police work were more likely to have positive appraisal of female officers. Nevertheless, officers with a longer tenure in the police force were less likely to hold positive perceptions of women in policing. In comparison with male officers, female officers were less likely to be supportive of gender integration that demands women to perform exactly the same or similar duties as males. Policy implications and suggestions for future research are addressed.

In a first-step cultivation theory analysis, this study examined the frequency and quality of female municipal police officers depicted in either the leading or joint leading role in the first 4 decades of the core cop film genre. An examination of 112 films released between 1971 and 2011 found that only 15 films portrayed female municipal police officers in either the leading or joint leading role. Findings revealed that key barriers regularly faced by female police officers, such as sexual harassment, gender harassment, and gender discrimination, were not addressed in the films. Female municipal police officers were, however, repeatedly depicted as having had intimate relationships with senior male police officers and/or portrayed as becoming officers because of being scarred emotionally or mentally by past traumatic events. According to cultivation theory, such depictions would cultivate a perceived social reality in which females only become police officers if they are emotionally scarred and intimacy with male colleagues is the norm. This study provides insight into the potential impact the lack and quality of existing portrayals have on the recruitment, hiring, and retention of female municipal police officers.

이 연구는 경찰과 교정직 여성공무원들이 경험하고 있는 조직 내의 성희롱·성폭력과 조직 내의 각종 성차별적 제도·문화·관행 등에 대하여 이들의 인식태도를 살펴보고 이러한 부정적 요소가 이직의도에 어떠한 영향을 미치는지를 검증하고자 하였다. 분석결과, 여성 경찰공무원과 교정직 여성공무원 모두 조직의 양성평등 의식이 부족할수록, 그들의 성차별 피해경험이 많을수록, 조직문화 및 관행이 남성 중심적일수록 이직의도를 높게 형성하고 있는 것으로 나타났다. 그리고 이직의도에 영향을 미치는 요인들을 각 조직별로 비교 분석해보면 먼저, 경찰직에 있어서는 남녀평등의식이 부족할수록, 조직문화 및 관행이 남성 중심적일수록 여성 경찰공무원의 이직의도가 높은 것으로 나타났다. 반면에 교정직에서는 연령이 높을수록, 성차별 피해를 많이 경험할수록, 기혼보다 미혼일수록, 양성평등의식이 부족할수록, 이직의도가 높게 형성되는 것을 발견할 수 있었다. 따라서 그들의 이직을 억제하기 위해서는 첫째, 남성적 조직문화와 관행들이 개선될 수 있도록 양성평등 교육을 확대하고 내실화해야 한다. 둘째, 일·가정 양립을 위한 법, 제도적 장치를 더욱 확대하고 조직 관리자나 내부 구성원들의 인식을 개선하여 여성은 물론 남성 공무원들도 적극적으로 제도를 활용하도록 해야 한다. 셋째, 직무 내외를 불문하고 여성 교정 공무원들에게 발생하는 다양한 성차별적 관행들을 개선하여 진정한 의미의 기회와 보상의 평등권이 실현되도록 해야 할 것이다. 넷째, 성희롱 피해경험이 여성 공무원들의 이직의도 형성에 유의미한 영향을 미치지는 않고 있지만 성희롱 피해가 매우 은밀하게 발생할 수 있고 피해자에게 극심한 심리적 문제를 야기할 수 있으므로 성희롱 가해자에 대한 엄벌주의 역시 동시에 확립해야 한다.The purpose of this study is searching the recognition attitudes of the female Police and Correctional officers and verifying the effects of negative factors to turnover intention about sexual harassment, and various gender discriminational system, culture and practices that the female Police and Correctional officers has experienced. As a result, both of the female Police and Correctional officers build higher turnover intention when recognition of gender equality are less, officers experienced more gender discrimination experiences, organizational culture and practices are more masculine. Additionally, compare and analyze the factors that affects to turnover intentions by each organization. First, by police organization, the female Police officers build higher turnover intention when recognition of gender equality are less, organizational culture and practices are more masculine. On the other side, by correctional organization, the female Correctional officers build higher turnover intention when the age of officers is higher, the officers experienced more damages from gender discriminations, the officers are unmarried, recognition of gender equality are less. Following the result, for the restriction of turnover. there are four suggestion. First, expand and substantialize gender equality education to improve masculine organizational culture and practices. Second, expand legal and institutional strategies for work-family reconciliation and improve recognition of organizational administrator and internal to allow male and female officers to use system Third, regardless the inside and outside of officers’ dutie, improve various gender discriminative practices for the female Correctional officers to realize equal rights of opportunities and compensation. Forth, even though experience of sexual harassment does not affect to turnover intention of female Police and Correctional officers, punitivism ought to be simultaneously established due to damage of sexual harassment is available to occur secretly and cause severe psychological damage.

이 연구는 남성경찰관이 여성경찰관을 동료로써 인식하고 신뢰하고 있는가? 라는 다소 회의적인 물음에서 시작되었다. 신뢰는 협력에 따른 인지된 불확실성을 줄여주고, 위험을 무릅써야 하는 행동을 용이하게 하기에 위험하고 돌발적인 업무상황에 자주 노출되는 경찰의 특성상 동료간의 신뢰가 필수적이다. 동료신뢰를 저해하는 요인을 탐색함에 있어서 크게 개인관련 특성(신뢰성향, 권위에 대한 동조, 여성경찰과 근무경험), 조직관련 특성(양가적 성차별, 조직의 양성평등 정도), 그리고 여성경찰 특성(능력과 배려, 개인주의)으로 구분하여 살펴보았다. 또한 동료신뢰는 인지적 신뢰와 정서적 신뢰로 유형을 세분화하여 살펴보았다. 연구결과를 토대로 남녀경찰관의 신뢰향상을 위하여 여자경찰을 동료로 인식함에 있어서 저해요인 및 조직분위기 개선방안을 살펴보고, 동료간 상호신뢰를 바탕으로 업무성과 제고에 기여할 수 있는 현실적인 인적자원관리 방안을 모색해보고자 한다.This article started from a question that if male police officers who takes up the majority of the organization perceive female police officers as their partners and trust them. Trust reduces the perceived uncertainty associated with collaboration, facilitates actions to take risks, and promotes cooperation and constructive attitudes. This is the reason the trust among colleagues is essential due to the nature of the police which are often exposed to dangerous and unexpected situations during their tasks. In other words, if the trust between male and female police officers is not assured as a colleague, it will have a negative influence not only on the individual members but also on the performance of the organization. In order to examine the factors that inhibit peer trust, factors were classified into personal characteristics(personal tendency to trust, accordance with authority, previous work experience with female police), organizational characteristics (ambiguous sexual discrimination, and the degree of gender equality in the organization) and female police characteristics(ability and consideration, individualism). Also, peer trust is divided into cognitive trust and emotional trust. Based on the results of this study, it examined the factors of inhibition and the improvement of organizational atmosphere in recognizing female officers as colleagues to improve the trust between male and female police officers, and looking for a practical human resource management plan that can contribute to improving work performance based on mutual trust among colleague officers.

This is the first book to look at women in policing in the mainland of the People’s Republic of China. Informed by empirical data as well as rich secondary information drawn from a wide range of published materials, and written by a former police officer in China, this book offers a detailed discussion of key issues concerning women in the Chinese police. Mainly drawing on face-to-face interviews with police officers and student probationers in multiple force areas, Women Police in Contemporary China offers rich insights into women’s lives in Chinese policing. The book first discusses how Chinese women were introduced to the male-only organisation and their representation in the Chinese police today. It elaborates women’s experiences as female officers in the police and, more specifically, their everyday work, contributions to policing, women police’s own perceptions of their roles and positions in the police profession and the gendered challenges and concerns facing them. It also looks at police occupational culture from a gendered lens. This book is illuminating reading for all those engaged in policing studies, gender and justice, policymaking, comparative criminal justice and all those interested in a woman’s role in the Chinese police.

It is frequently asserted that female police officers are less likely than their male counterparts to engage in misconduct or to approve of such behaviour by fellow officers. This paper assesses the extent to which such assumptions hold true in the case of Queensland police. The paper draws upon three sources of data: attitudinal surveys administered to serving police officers, police-initiated complaints, and public complaints against police. Attitudinal data showed few differences between male and female police officers in their views of ethical conduct and the stated willingness to report a fellow officer known to have behaved inappropriately. In addition, female recruits were found to be as likely as males to modify their views once they have spent some time ‘in the field’. Attitudinal results were supported by the finding that, regardless of gender, only a small number of officers below the rank of Sergeant were willing to initiate complaints of misconduct against a fellow police officer. Complaints against police data showed male officers were more likely than female officers to attract complaints, in particular, complaints of assault. Overall, the findings question the argument that female officers are inherently ‘more ethical’ in their outlook or that they are more willing to report misconduct than their male counterparts. While female police officers may not be inherently more ethical, their employment has some important organisational advantages, such as enabling a reduction in complaints, particularly those relating to the use of force, and a reinforcement of the principles of community policing.

BackgroundFemale police officers are reported to encounter more bias, discriminatory practices, and inadequate support than their male counterparts and experience poorer health outcomes. This meta-ethnographic review looks beyond individual responsibilities to consider which aspects of policing impact the health and well-being of female police officers.MethodsPrimary qualitative and mixed method studies published between 2000 and 2024 were included. ProQuest (all databases) and Ovid (Medline and Embase) were searched using terms related to health, wellbeing, females, police, and qualitative research. This was a cross-jurisdictional review, with no limit on country of study. In total, twenty-one papers met the inclusion criteria. A seven-phase inductive and interpretative meta-ethnographic technique was employed to synthesise, analyse, and interpret the data.ResultsThe data analysis revealed a distinct outcome that demonstrated a strong relationship and substantial impacts of organisational injustice on the health and well-being of female police officers. Our findings showed that organisational injustice, encompassing procedural, relational, distributive, and gendered injustice, significantly influences the health and well-being of female officers. Impacts on mental health were commonly discussed, followed by aspects influencing social health, workplace wellbeing, and physical health. Moreover, the effects of these four forms of organisational injustice and the associated cultural, systemic, and structural risk factors extend beyond the immediate health and wellbeing impacts on the individual female officer through impeding other aspects of their work life, such as career progression and work-life balance, that can further impact long-term health and well-being.ConclusionThis review highlights the importance of addressing organisational injustice and the cultural, systemic, and structural risk factors within policing to promote healthier and more inclusive workforces for female officers. Policymakers and practitioners should critically examine policies and practices that may appear gender neutral but disproportionately impact women, affecting the health and well-being of female police officers. By addressing these issues, transformative action can be taken to create safer, more supportive, and healthier working environments for female police officers.

Police officers play an integral role in enhancing security, which is normally a very basic premise if the economy of a given country is to thrive. The effectiveness and efficiency of police work are doing the right thing to assist the citizens who are their customers at all time. If they don’t perform as expected the public can view it with negativity, and term them as either corrupt or unwilling to meet their needs. For a long time, police officers especially female police officers have had numerous challenges that have consistently contributed to their low morale at work thus subsequently having ripple effects on their performance. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of work-life challenges on the performance of female police officers in Kenya. The objectives of this study were; to examine the influence of gender stereotypes on the performance of female police officers in Nakuru county; to determine the influence of work-life balance on the performance of female police officers in Nakuru county; to identify how social injustices influences the performance of female police officers in Nakuru County; and to identify the best strategy to help enhance the performance of female police officers in Nakuru county. The study was guided by radical feminist theory and liberal approach theory. This study also adopted a descriptive survey research design. This study relied on primary data specifically a questionnaire and focus group discussion. A sample of 135 female police officers was drawn through stratified and simple random sampling to respond to the questionnaires. On the other hand, convenience sampling was used to select the female police officers who would participate in the focus group discussion. Descriptive statistics such as mean, percentages and standard deviation were used to analyze quantitative data that was obtained. The data was presented in charts, frequency, and tables. Qualitative data were analyzed according to themes and patterns formed. They were presented in narrative and verbatim quotations forms. This study was expected to contribute to the body of knowledge already existing on challenges facing female police officers and even police officers in general. It was also going to inform the national government on various challenges facing female police officers and how to mitigate them to enhance performance and by extension improving security. The study findings indicated that female officers experienced work-life challenges which included gender stereotypes, work-life balance and social injustices that affected their productivity to some extent. The study concluded that female officers encountered many forms of gender stereotypes at their workplace thus influencing their performance. There was a lot of preference for certain people for promotions or recommendations for promotions that took place at the workplace, a lot of bureaucracy and red tape in the management of police operations and missing certain opportunities for handling certain cases in the force because of their gender. The study also concluded that there was a lack of work-life balance amongst the female police officers as they found it difficult to balance their work and family responsibilities. The study recommends that the government or rather the KPS should come up with policy/policies that will cater for both genders and ensure that there is no favouritism and nepotism in the service as well as adopt practical reforms where possible for female officers to be assigned duties during the day to avoid inconveniences of not being able to attend to family and children.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare Taiwanese male and female cadets’ attitudes toward women in policing. Specifically, this study assesses whether female and male recruits differ in: their assessment of women in policing; and their preferred roles of women in policing. Design/methodology/approach – Surveys were conducted with 438 cadets (229 males and 209 females) who received recruitment training at the Taiwan Police College in 2011. This methodology provided a rich sample to explore police recruits’ attitudes toward women in policing. Findings – Although male cadets had reservations about females’ capability and physical strength in handling certain aspects of police work, they supported women being assigned to equal or similar duties as men upon entry into the police force. Compared to male cadets, female cadets were more likely to perceive females as being competent as males and thus adequate for police work. Nevertheless, female cadets were reluctant to embrace women's integration into police work, which might require them to perform duties similar to or the same as those of men, such as patrol. Research limitations/implications – It should be noted that the survey in the current study was conducted while recruits were going through training at the police college. The authors cannot rule out the possibility that surveys conducting under this type of circumstances may result in socially desirable responses. Future study should include surveys with cadets at different stages of their training (before, between, and at the end of the training) to further examine if the levels of recruits’ receptiveness to gender integration change over time. Practical implications – This finding highlights the importance of equipping female recruits with mental preparation and physical skills. The training at the academy should prepare cadets with the required skills to serve as patrol officers to boost their confidence. Equally important is to provide suitable training to help cadets raise stress awareness and develop coping mechanisms. Originality/value – Most studies conducted in the past have mainly focussed on police officers’ perceptions of women in policing. Only a handful of studies examine future police recruits’ attitudes toward women in policing, and most of these studies are conducted in western countries. A better understanding of police recruits’ attitudes toward women in policing in a non-western cultural setting can provide insight into theoretical and policy perspectives related to these issues.

While many benefits of women in policing have been recognised, sworn female officers have remained mostly underrepresented within the workforce. Recently, policing organisations have sought to rectify this with the implementation of gender targets. However, this aim to increase female officers has been met with resistance and scepticism. This study examines the main support and concerns held by the public regarding women in policing. To do this, 3562 phrases within 3210 public comments were thematically analysed from an Australian Federal Police Facebook recruitment campaign that targeted women. Results showed that most of the comments were positive in nature with three main themes emerging: individual, institutional, and societal perspectives. Furthermore, the findings revealed that there appears to be a shift in public opinions from individual perspective concerns (such as emotional and physical capabilities) to a societal perspective including the balancing of power and the breaking of chains. These findings help to inform policing authorities in the design of gender target campaigns and strategies. Specifically, by knowing the public concerns about women in policing, authorities can address these concerns by rethinking policies and practices, and educating the public about any common misconceptions about female officers. Furthermore, the supportive reasons can be used to promote positive relationships between police and the community enhancing trust and confidence in the police.

Gender in the police force has received scant attention by researchers, although there are complex social dimensions at play in how male and female law enforcement officers relate to each other in the workplace. Given the fact that males predominate in the police force, their female counterparts are often marginalised due to their sexual orientation and certain stereotypes that prevail about their femininity. Male officers perceive female officers as physically weak individuals who cannot go about their duties as this is an area of work deemed more appropriate to men. Based on this perception, female officers are discriminated against in active policing and often confined to administrative duties. This study looks at how female police officers are discriminated against in the global police culture across the globe, the logic of sexism and women’s threat to police work, men’s opposition to female police work, gender representivity in the police force, and the integration and transformation of the South African Police Service to accommodate female police officers. The study highlights that although police officers are discriminated against globally, in the South African context positive steps have been taken to accommodate them through legislative reform.

Data about physiological performance of female ironman triathletes are rare. However, some studies have reported this endurance sport may cause damage to the right or left ventricles, even in females. The goal of this study was to assess prospectively the right/left ventricular function and physiological performance in female athletes (middle- and long ironman distance) and to compare the findings to female federal police officers. A total of 33 female triathletes and 37 female police officers were examined using spiro-ergometry and echocardiography. Female triathletes achieved VO2max 52.8 ± 5.7 ml/kg(-1)·min(-1), and police officers 35.3 ± 6.5 ml/kg(-1)·min(-1) In athletes, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter was 4.4 ± 0.3 cm and in police officers 4.5 ± 0.4 cm, and the left ventricular muscle mass index was 85.8 g/m(2 )± 18.7 in athletes and in police officers 72.0 g/m(2 )± 9.1. Right ventricular area change among athletes was 49.4 ± 8.5%, and in police officers 46.0 ± 6.9%. The performance date of female triathletes can be used as training prescription for leisure female triathletes, when middle or long distances in triathlon competitions are planned. No right or left ventricular dysfunction was found despite long training and finishing of long distance competitions: non-elite athletes, 5.4 ± 2.8 years of triathlon competitions; elite athletes, 7.6 ± 5.8 years.

This study compares the careers of female and male police officers using the common criteria of career success: education, experience, rank, and earnings. The data come from the Police Personnel Barometer 2010-survey, which targeted the entire Finnish police force (N/population = 7350/11,028). The accumulation of work experience (by age) appears to be slower among female than among male police officers. Female police officers acquire their higher police degrees slightly later during their career than male police officers. Towards the end of the career, male police officers are ahead of females in both rank and earnings. Using comprehensive data from one of the most equal societies in the world, and robust statistical methods, the current paper thus demonstrates that it is very difficult the get rid of the career bias between female and male police officers.

PurposeThis paper aims to examine some of the factors associated with the decision to participate in the promotion process for female police officers in a Midwestern police agency.Design/methodology/approachFace‐to‐face, structured interviews were conducted in the spring of 2006 with most (74 percent) of the female police officers employed by a Midwestern, municipal police agency.FindingsThe authors identified several organizational and personal factors that impact on female police officers' decision to participate in the promotion process. This study also uncovers a factor that has not been addressed in previous research: how being married to fellow police officers (or part of a “cop couple”) can restrict the upward mobility of female police officers.Research limitations/implicationsData for this study were collected from one municipal police agency in the Midwest; therefore, the research findings may not be generalizable to small or very large police agencies. In addition, the female officers in this police agency comprise a relatively high percentage of sworn positions (15 percent) compared to the national average of 12.6 percent; therefore, the experiences of the women in this department may not be representative of other female police officers working in agencies where women comprise either more or less than 15 percent of all sworn positions. Another limitation of this study is that the sample size is small. This is a limitation that most researchers will encounter when they choose to study female police officers, as there are so few women who work in American police agencies.Practical implicationsBy identifying the barriers that female officers face when deciding to go through the promotion process, the authors were able to provide several administrative changes that could be made to encourage more female officers to participate in the promotion process.Originality/valueThere is very limited published research on the promotion of female police officers. This study uncovers a factor that has not been addressed in previous research: how being married to fellow police officers can restrict the upward mobility of female police officers, thus resulting in a “marriage tax” for female police officers.