Playing the Game: A Qualitative Exploration of the Female Experience in a Hypermasculine Policing Environment

Abstract

Domestically and globally females continue to be underrepresented in policing, despite their greater likelihood of advancing themselves through higher education, driving organizational change, and being less likely to use excessive force or be named in civil litigation than their male counterparts. Extant research indicates that women may be effectively gated from policing by a subculture that aggrandizes characteristics consistent with the crime-fighting paradigm. Using qualitative data from in-depth interviews with female officers, this study investigates the female officer experience of police subculture in terms of masculinity, gender disparities, and sexualized activities. To understand the perceived environment of the department and contextualize it within the literature, the dominance of masculine personality traits and gender disparities within the department are first explored to determine whether a hypermasculine subculture was present. Then, female officers’ definitions of sexual harassment, their roles in these activities, and their motivations for participation were examined.

Exploring Gendered Environments in Policing: Workplace Incivilities and Fit Perceptions in Men and Women Officers

“…Acker (1990) suggests that organizations are gendered, whether or not they appear so to the casual observer. By-products of the gendered organizational structure and the masculine culture of police organizations include elevated levels of discrimination and social isolation for women, also referred to as workplace incivilities (Archbold et al, 2010;Brown, Baldwin, et al, 2019;Shelley et al, 2011). The existing body of research acknowledges structure and culture as deterrents to women's acceptance in the field but fails to examine how cultural values might play out at different environmental levels.…”

“…Elevated levels of discrimination and social isolation for women are also common by-products of the gendered organizational structure and the masculine culture of police organizations (Archbold et al., 2010; Brown, Baldwin, et al., 2019; Brown, Fleming, et al., 2019; Shelley et al., 2011). Female officers are often subject to being bullied by someone more senior than them, having a male colleague take credit for their work, or being passed up for a promotion opportunity, even though they may be more qualified than their male counterparts (Brown, Fleming, et al., 2019).…”

“…The masculine subcultures, which embodies traditional police values, brings about negative experiences for women via informal social interactions (Brown, 2007). For example, women may be perceived as a threat and face backlash if they fail to follow ascribed feminine roles, but if they do, they may sacrifice advancement opportunities, professional camaraderie, and a place in the “boys’ club” (Brown, Baldwin, et al., 2019; Martin, 1979; Rabe-Hemp, 2008; Shelley et al., 2011). In these ways, policing remains a gendered institution with gendered processes, narrowly defining women’s roles and devaluing feminine traits (Archbold & Schulz, 2012; Garcia, 2003).…”

“…Similarly, one study found that about 93% of women, compared with almost 83% of men, reported experiencing some form of harassment (i.e., unwanted sexual attention, quid pro quo harassment, and gender harassment) within the last year (Lonsway et al., 2013). The harassment and marginalization of women occurs even in departments with somewhat higher proportions of women, both in the United States and other Western countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada (Brown, Baldwin, et al., 2019; Brown, Fleming, et al., 2019; Langan et al., 2019; Marsh, 2019).…”

An Examination of Police Culture and its Effects on Patrol Officers Attitudes towards Restorative Justice

“…Maintaining the edge helps officers deal with the dangers of police work whereby officers believe they can maintain control and display their authority by being prepared to one-up citizens, while laying low refers to a coping mechanism used by officers to bring less attention to themselves and actions. Others have found the recurring themes of police culture to include: the police family; trust, loyalty, and protection; control; an us vs. them mentality; masculinity; sense of mission, and; subcultural differences (Brough et al, 2016;Waddington, 1999;Brown et al, 2019). Also the willingness to use force; engaging in informal working practices; social isolation; displaying solidarity with their colleagues; holding a conservative outlook; cynicism and pessimism; and an often simplistic understanding of criminality (Loftus, 2010;Fekjaer et al, 2014).…”