Masculinity In Law Enforcement Essay

Female police officers have been saddled with a stigma ever since they were allowed to join the force with male officers. Female police officers performance and ability to do their job and perform well is often questioned because they are women. Female officers are not given the same respect as male officers because of their gender; however, they bring different skills and assets to the profession that male officers do not. Female officers are less likely to use force or become aggressive because they have better communication skills and empathize. However, female officers will resort to using aggressive behaviors or force when necessary. Superior officers and male patrol officers feel that women are only on the force because it is a matter of social integration and an HR requirement. They feel that this is a man’s profession, and women have no business trying to be a part of it.

TV shows have made some changes since then but policewomen are still being shown as unrealistic, for example the show “Hawaii Five-0” has a female police officer and she is over sexualized. “Hawaii Five-0” last week put on a skimpy bikini to go undercover to make contact with three female surfers who had just killed a business executive during an armed robbery they staged on a Waikiki tourist trolley bus” and “Kono in her tight jeans and high-heeled boots is not only a thin, beautiful, champion surfer but also a skilled sniper who can fire a steady shot from a moving car to knock off a thug rushing to escape on the upper floors of a high-rise”(Fawcett, 2015).

There are many stereotypes that women in the law enforcement field have to face. In order to recruit more women into policing, law enforcement agencies should attempt to overcome the idea that policing is a "male-oriented profession". This paper will cover parts of the history of women police officers, some views and stereotypes of the female officer, job related issues, life outside of the workforce and job satisfaction.

In recent years, recruitment and retention of police officers has been a pain point for many departments across the nation. Odd and inflexible hours, uncompetitive pay, para-militaristic organizational structures, and a negative public perception have all worked to diminish the pool of applicants interested in careers in law enforcement. Add to the mix the sexist “brotherhood” police culture, emphasis on masculinity and aggression, and the nearly non-existent opportunities for advancement for women, and over half of the eligible workforce has been discouraged from even considering a career in law enforcement. In 2013, women comprised just over 57% of the labor force, but accounted for only 13% of sworn police officers (USDOL, 2013; Crooke, 2013). Not only are women sorely underrepresented in the field of law enforcement, but those who are employed experience discrimination at the hands of their supervisors and coworkers, and as a result, the attrition rate for women is often much higher than that of their male counterparts. Departments should pledge dedication to recruiting and retaining more female officers, as research indicates that not only do females perform just as well as males in patrol positions, but they also have a unique set of advantages to offer agencies when employed in law enforcement. In order to improve the recruitment and retention of females into policing roles, departments must determine the biggest deterrents for women who are considering the pursuit

Among police, there are stark differences between male and female officers. Cara E. Rabe-Hemp researched these sex differences by conducting a series of interviews with policewomen. These interviews reveal how policewomen cope with the seemingly impossible task to find a balance between feminine values that they were raised to uphold and masculine values that their male-dominated field demands. According to the individual perspective, employees’ performance is more shaped by their unique personal experiences as opposed to standardized formal training (Britt 185). Since neither police officers’ formal training nor their subculture reduce or eliminate the differences between policemen and policewomen, sex differences have a much more significant

Not more than two years ago, I listened to three minority female officers conversing on the difficulties of being a female officer. Though women have been accepted into police force, it has been a very slow and difficult process. What follows is a brief chronology of their struggle to become assimilated into and become an important part NYC’s “finest” – the N.Y.P.D.

A while ago when someone thinks of careers in criminal justice, they most likely imagine men in any positions that come to mind. Maybe because most feel the field of criminal justice is unsafe, stressful, and unpredictable. Before 1972, the number of women employed in the criminal justice system as police officers, correctional officers, lawyers, and judges was a small number. This is understandable: statistics from a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs – Bureau of Justice Statistics show that men outnumber women in all areas of federal law enforcement, in most places making up at least 75 percent of the workforce. Now according to the United States Department of Labor, women make up 46.8% of the US workforce.

The criminal justice system is a male dominated occupation. For many years women have tried to break down the barrier and some have succeeded. But unlike men, women have to fight to be respected and to be heard. There has always been a gender bias. Women have decided to work outside the home and “move in” on careers that were specified as male professions. Females unfortunately have to

Perceptions of what constitutes a qualified police officer have been crafted as a result of numerous television shows and movies. They are often portrayed as heroic, invincible, and possessors of brute strength. While some of these physical attributes are in fact expected and required of police officers, they are not the only ones and at times,

There is also discrimination in the police force. According to Women and the Criminal Justice System, women are discriminated against when seeking a job in the police force (Wormer and Bartollas, 2007). Society and men who are already on the police force believes that women are too weak to carry out law and unable to capture criminals. This is an example of men being the dominant group over women. In society, women are known to be soft-hearted, loving, emotional and supportive. These characteristics make women look weak as a police officer. However, studies have shown that women are just as effective police

Gender inequality still plays a huge role in today’s society. Women comprise only a small percentage of the local law enforcement agencies across the nation. Women have been a part of law enforcement since the 20th century but have only been noticed within the last 40 years. Back in the 1970’s women rarely held positions in law enforcement and if they did it was mainly clerical/desk positions. Even though the amount of women in law enforcement today has increased, women still only make up roughly around 13 percent of the law enforcement work force (Public). Women can make such an impact in the Law Enforcement field if given a fair chance but they may face many problems when doing so. Some say that women don’t belong, while others suggest

When it comes to race within law enforcement, male police officers still question whether women can handle the dangerous situations and physical confrontations that officers may be confronted with, while it is shown that most police women have easily met the expectations of their superiors. Indeed, studies have found that, in general, male and female officers perform in similar ways. In addition, research has found that most citizens have positive things to say about the work of police women (Worden,

While the average earnings for women still lag behind those of men, the March “Women at Work” report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), revealed that the gender wage gap continues to narrow. Women earned 81 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2010, up from 76 cents in 2000. Many attribute this to the higher college graduation rates of women. Women are gaining numbers in various fields of work and the perceptions of their fellow male colleagues are even changing. Captain Purnell Richardson, of the Baltimore City Police Department remembers a time when women were once viewed as inferior to men in the police field. “The women of the force were like the social workers. They took all the calls and did all the paper work at one point in time. They were even given a little bit of lead way in the Academy. The guys had to do 50 pushups and the women only had to do 30. But now a day’s some of these women have more heart than the men. They are quick to draw their weapon and they will have your back. We have some tough women in our force.” Crystal Kidd is a Lieutenant with the Baltimore Police Department, she says, “You have to make a name for yourself in the force. I like when I hear people say they don’t like me or I’m a bitch. To me that just means I am doing my job. I have a zero tolerance for nonsense and that is the only way you will get respect around here. Some

According to NCJRS, the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, women are severely under-represented in police departments, accounting for only 13.0% of police officers across the country (Bringing a Women's Rights). This gives men the upper hand and a significantly higher ratio than women in this profession. In fact, many individuals to this day continue to discriminate against women police, believing that they serve no purpose in becoming a police officer; however, the question should not be "Why do people discriminate against policewomen," but rather "Where did their discrimination come from?" The answer is simple: society. Family, peers, media, and one’s thoughts and ideas influence a persons’ perspective (or outlook). It’s legitimate to assume that one of the major impacts on an individual’s ideas is the media. Television, radio, magazines, and newspapers

Chris Pattern, former Chancellor of Oxford University, once stated “All parts of the society need to feel that the police service is their police service, and that does not happen unless all parts of society are represented in the police.” (Higgins, 2014) For those of us that have lived in the United States, the notion of having females in our police force is no longer a subject of major controversy. In other countries like Afghanistan, the incorporation of females into the police force is a new occurrence and is undergoing heavy resistance. Female officers undergo challenges daily, from mistreatment from their male counterparts, to being targeted for murder on the streets by extremists. The fact that such measures would be taken against them would leave many foreign to their customs in shock, including myself, which further perpetuated my initial research. In terms of strengths and weaknesses, withholding an entity that can otherwise be used beneficially can be considered a weakness. One of which the USA had at one point in time, but has employed more willingly and even continues to seek out. The lesser known Afghanistan will be analyzed first and then it will be compared to the more familiar United States.