WOMEN IN POLICING
Public Attitudes
Public Opinion:
The general public's opinion of female oficers has slowly changed over time as social norms have continued to evolve throughout the years. The opinion of the public has become more accepting of female officers in the male dominated field of law enforcement. The public generally believes now that female officers are just as effective and as capable as their male counterparts (Leger, 1997). As a woman's place in the workforce has changed so has the support of women in male dominated fields and luckily the support of women in these male dominated fields has increased amongst the general public.
The view of male officers:
However, even though the public attitude toward female officers has changed towards the positive the attitude from male officers has yet to change so drastically. Many male officers have yet to fully accept female officers in the workplace. Male officers still have a much more difficult time accepting female officers as their equals in the law enforcement field and do not beleive that females can be as effective as their male counterparts (Leger, 1997). Many females still face sexual harassment from their male coworkers as well as they have to try and break into the "boys club" if they wish to be accepted by male officers. Having to be "one of the boys" has also led to discontent amongst female officers because this pits them against one another in order to be accepted by their male coworkers. The attitudes from male officers have certainly improved over the years, yet there is still much more progress that can be made on behalf of male officers in law enforcement.
The perspective of a female officer:
In a recent survey female police officers were asked several questions about their experiences in law enforcement. In the survey it was found that 32% of women felt they were treated less favorably than their male coworkers (Seklecki & Paynich, 2007). This study showed that there is still a significant portion of female officers that do not feel they are treated equally in comaprison to their male coworkers. The discrimination they feel from their male coworkers can lead to many problems in the work place because law enforcement agencies rely on a high amount of comradery and trust amongst officers. This number may also be part of the reason why the number of female officers in law enforcement is so low.
