Women in the police force and the banter they had to suffer throughout the years

The History of Woman Policing

For a considerably long time, law enforcement was considered a job for men. Some societies were so patriarchal that it was a taboo for a woman to hold any office, let alone policing. The close of the 18th marked numerous social revolutions. Activists for human rights advocated greatly for gender mainstreaming. In the year 1910, Alice Stebbin Wells become the first female law enforcer, handling cases pertaining women and minors in joined the Los Angeles Police Department. As McCarthy, (264) explains, Municipal police departments had recruited about 2, 400 women in the USA in 1962. Their duties were not like of the male officers until the year 1968 when Indianapolis Police Department assigned two women patrol duties similar to those of men (McCarthy, 264). The number of women in the police force has been growing slowly since then, despite the calls for mainstreaming in all organs. Studies reveal that women in law enforcement face several challenges, making some opt out. There are, also, some barriers that could explain the underrepresentation of the female gender in policing.

Barriers to Women in Policing

Women are barred from effective policing by various factors. These include societal expectations, double standards, vulnerability to harassment and underrepresentation. For instance, women play the role of mothers in their homes. When a woman working in the police gets pregnant, she cannot meet some duties, jeopardizing her job. When recruited into the police, they have to balance between their occupational roles and family roles. It is important to identify that women are considered the “ weaker sex.” As a result, they have to work harder than their male counterparts to attain recognition and peer acceptance. The field has few women compared to men. As a result, there might only be one female officer in a whole police post. The current ratio of men to women in policing is 10: 1, explaining that the underrepresentation (Prenzler, Jacqueline 465). Since policing is dominated by males, sexual harassment and language abuse is common towards female officers. They also are prone to mistreatment from their bosses in pursuit of pervert advances. The requirements for recruitment into various police departments requires various physical characteristics, some of which are far from reach for women. Consequently, most women drop out during the recruitment exercise. All in all, there is lack of appropriate policies to ensure that women are well represented in law enforcement and to offer them a conducive working climate.

Comparison of Male and Female Officers’ Job Performance

Since the year 1968 when Indianapolis Police Department pioneered assigning both male and female officers like duties, a lot has been observed in the performance. Men have been found to do well in errands that call for physical expertise while women do well in tasks that call for interpersonal skills. Studies reveal that male police officers perform well in situations where recognition and force are needed. Sometimes, male officers can complete a law/order-keeping task by simply showing up, which is not always the case with women (Prenzler, Jacqueline 465). Women officers have been observed dealing sympathetically with suspects, which has aroused numerous concerns. On the other hand, female officers have performed outstandingly well in some areas that men have performed poorly. Unlike men, women have been described as disciplined in the since that they rarely engage into fights with their coworkers. This includes duties that require communication and creation of awareness. Women in the police have also been successful in ensuring restorative justice for juveniles, which has not been well achieved where men have been used. Female officers have also performed better than male officers in community policing and conflict resolution (McCarthy, 264). In conclusion, an effective police force requires the contribution of both male and female officers.