THE EFFECTS OF SEXISM ON WOMEN IN THE LAW ENFORCEMENT SYSTEM

        In today’s society, women are venturing into the workforce, which men have traditionally commanded.  This has caused many sexist problems for women.  This paper will explore the aspects dealt with on a regular basis by women in law enforcement. This writer shall attempt to view all sides of the argument that such unethical and discriminatory problems even exist. The resources to be applied to this report will be derived from many sources including: the internet, books, journals, magazines, and personal interviews.  The object of review is an analysis of the emotional and physical well-being as well as the psychological stress to which women in this field are subjected.

            Women have been relatively few in number in the justice system. It can be assumed that there must be some type of problem in the justice system that threatens women.  In spite of this, the female population in the law enforcement field is slowly increasing. Social and psychological reviews will be ascertained to complete a thorough assessment.  Statistics show a 7.8 percent increase between the years 1972 and 1993 (date).  However, the women in law enforcement have claimed that they have been placed in positions that force them to deal with cruel remarks and discrimination.  Instead of field positions, women’s talents are frequently lost in clerical positions.  Women are made to feel less important than men in other ways as well.  The gender pervading attitudes often attempt to warrant the discriminatory treatment of women.  The male officers continue to stereotype women as weak, emotional sex objects.

LITERATURE REVIEW

 It is important to understand that there are many different aspects that often separate men and women in the labor force.  The problems with attitudes, negative images, lack of work experience, and social structure are usually narrowed back to the main focus of gender.  

Starting as early as the women’s movement in the 1800’s women have been struggling with men for equality.  The first women to forge into the field of law enforcement opened the gate and ever since a semi-steady stream of women has trickled into the system to perform her duty.  Following the initial movement women have started to demand the same respect and benefits men in the field have been receiving.  In the past twenty years women’s roles in society have been slowing changing.  The previous view was that a woman was to be a homemaker or if she chooses to work outside of the home she would work in a less dangerous position.  However, today both men and women are taking the liberal view and realizing the need for both male and female to work outside of the home.  The problem comes in to play when a female engages in the work fields that men have dominated.  These positions are challenged even more when an element of danger is involved.

Today, there are increasing numbers of women pursing paid employment outside of the home.  The women employed in the justice system are reported to be overwhelmed by the violence.  “Women account for 20% of all correctional officers, with the proportion of female officers increasing at around 19% per year.” (Schmalleger 2003).  The debate as to the performance of men and women in justice is how each gender approaches the job.  “male officers tend to subscribe to a “morality of justice,” while women possess a “morality of care.” (113 text 205).  This is often seen as a sign of weakness.

The sentiment women project could be a benefit.  At times, the need for such consideration is inundated.  Many studies have been conducted about the effectiveness women provide to law enforcement.  The studies revealed positive results.  This however, has not stopped the feelings by many, that women are inferior to men in job-related positions, especially law enforcement which may endanger them in many different ways.

The physical well being of female officers is a main topic.  The male counterparts have continually expressed the attitude women should be treated differently.  Women tend to show less physical aggression while men are forceful and demand authority.  This has lead to a decrease in female officers in patrol positions.  Men often feel a women need to be protected.  She is viewed as fragile and in need of defending.  A call for service that may require physical strength or the use of defensive tactics causes issues with men and women.  Women feel they are capable of handing these types of situations.  Men on the other hand deign the women’s ability.     

            The New York police department had women as matrons as early as 1845 (1).  Women have held various positions in the police department but it was not until 1910 that a woman was officially classified as a “policewoman” (Walker 1999).  Alice Stebbins Wells was sworn in under Leo Marden on September 12, 1910.  She was assigned to the Juvenile Probation Department. Since no female badges were available, she received a man’s badge.  A female badge was quickly created and she was assigned policewoman badge number one. (2).  Her position was expanded and she was policing and enforcing laws at establishments women and children frequented.  Alice Wells was determined to achieve a permanent place for women in law enforcement.  As she traveled throughout the country other police offices began to consider the benefits women could provide to their workplace.  She founded the International Association of Women Police in 1915(Walker 1999).  This society is still an important forum for women police officers.  (2)  The positions were extremely limited to women until the civil rights movement in 1964.  (Walker 1999).  The movement gave women the right to demand equal treatment.  Female officers began to receive assignments of routine police patrols.  Women seemed pleased to advance in the field, but this was also the beginning of more problems that would continue up until the present day. 

            Samuel Walters book, The Police in America, is a detailed broad view of the law enforcement in our country.  An emphasis is placed on how the police interact with the public, fellow employees and themselves. Walters’s discussion of female officers spans the earliest women officers to the present.  The motivation women experienced during the early 1900’s seems to be much the same as it is today.  The problems of limited jobs as well as sexual discrimination are two of the most pressing issues.  He notes women today just have different avenues available to them in correcting the problems.  He addresses the issue of women and stress, childcare responsibilities and sexual harassment (Walker 1999).

            Sexual harassment is a violation of a personal right and it also has many laws opposing it.  Sexual harassment is an erosion of a person’s self-esteem, self-respect, and privacy.  This discrimination is wide spread in law enforcement.  Sexual harassment is noted as having a ninety percent reported rate in the Navy.  Female police officers are recognized as the second most sexually harassed. This trend is being explored from many angles.  In most cases, women have not followed through the complete progress to convict the harasser.  The initial complain is filed and then dropped for a variety of reasons.  Many different opinions have been given to talk about the different types of discrimination. Graphs as well as statistics outline the various actions.  Court cases have been instigated because of unfair practices.  Women have claimed to be unfairly given the “desk jobs” verses “hazardous patrols.”  The police departments across the country have implemented policies to deter such acts and protect their employees physically and emotionally.  Investigations continually report gender is not a factor in a woman’s ability to perform patrol work satisfactorily (5).  The burden on the police structure is attempting to treat men and women equally.  Women are now required to perform the same duties as male officers.  Women have resigned from the police department at about the same rate as men.  (5 page 265)

RESEARCH METHODS

 
            There are many types of discrimination women encounter.   In the area of law enforcement, women experience discrimination on several avenues including, fewer positions, sexual harassment, and pay scale.  The charts below exhibit the situations women in law enforcement have to cope with. The problems women are experiencing in law enforcement include many aspects.  Women are struggling to be treated equally.  Statistics show that the problems have plagued women at many levels.  The presidential appointee’s demonstrates the amount of discriminations women have experienced during the many presidential administrations.  Men received and appointment more than women in every administration.

President     President     President     President     President     President              President

Johnson       Nixon         Ford             Carter          Reagan       Bush                     Clinton

1963-68      1969-74      1974-76       1977-80       1981-88      1989-92           1999-2000

M 98.4%     M 99.4%     M 98.1%     M 85.6%     M 91.7%     M 80.4%           M 67.2%

F 1.6%        F 0.6%        F 1.9%         F 14.4%      F 8.3%         F 19.6%            F 32.8%

            The following table is a small example of a few law enforcement agencies with one hundred of more sworn officers.  The chart is further broken down into total sworn male officers and total sworn female officers as well as the total of officers in the United States.  The percentages of female officers are relatively small versus the total male officers.  This chart is scaled down to include a minimal amount of agencies.

The State of North Carolina:

            Cabarrus County Sheriff Office      Total   118       Female   18

            High Point Police Dept                   Total   179       Female   19

            Asheville Police Dept                     Total   173       Female   32

            Fayetteville Police Dept                 Total    269      Female    37

Charlotte Mecklenburg                  Total    1,438    Female   199

Other States Include:

Pennsylvania State Police              Total 4,134      Female    166

Maryland State Police                    Total 1,611      Female    213

Chicago Police Dept                      Total 15,913    Female    3,250

        The discrepancy that men and women have witnessed has even spread into the economic field.  Since women have forged into the workforce, problems have erupted over the various pay scales.  Below is a chart that shows the contrast in pay between men and women performing the same position.  This chart will show the salaries between the year of 1973 and 1997.  These figures do not include the school systems and educational institutions, which women tend to dominate.

            According to the 2000 Uniformed Crime Report the percent of male and female law enforcement employees has a substantial variation in employment.

            Total Agencies 13.535

            Population 264,813,489

            Total Cities 10,386

            Population 177,721,567

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

            Through the research of the topic of sexism in America, it can be concluded some type of discrimination is present.  The difficultly arises to the degree such problems occur.  With the demand for a balance of men and women to be present in the work force, women will be forced to handle situations of discrimination. The evidence is demonstrated in this review to the type of problems women will be forced to tolerate if they intend to maintain a working career.  Both physical as well as mental stresses develop to provide complete unfairness to women.  The tides are changing in the world and the attitude toward gender should change as well.

I understand the differences both men and women are coping.  The problems that arise from different perspectives are often the main issue.  Men have a different concept of the abilities women posses.  The difference between brain and brawn is often brought up in any fight of ability between men and women.  It appears most women feel threaten by men to excel in a male dominated field.  This type of unspoken male domination is hard to deal with.  But more women are attempting to rise to the challenge of pressing into the fields of law enforcement.  The research provided a basis, which covered job positions that men have dominated throughout the history of the world.  The dispute of fairness will be an issue that one paper or one research will never be able to cope with.  However, by realizing the problem and talking with people in charge of making decisions, as well as those living the experiences, plans can be instituted to set new standards for women.

          As a result of my research, I came to the conclusion the problem of discrimination will always exist.  The social implications of not “going with the pack” are often unbearable for some people.  More research should be conducted on the psychology of men’s beliefs about women in general.  Of course this may cause problems if the men that are usually in charge of making such decisions is afraid to admit there is even a problem. 

Numerous people have plans, programs, and opinions, in how to solve the problem of discrimination.  I personally do not feel that there is one simple answer to the problem.  The various factors are the cause of the problems.  People often get so caught up in the event itself they truly lose sight of the larger problem.  They pour their personal emotions and personality traits into the mix and this often just spins another web of more problems.  I believe this problem, as well as other socially based problems, needs to be fought from the core not the superficial wounds that surface in a problem like discrimination.  

            In a self-critique of this research, I wish I had taken my time to explore the personalities of the people who admit they do discriminate against another person for the simple fact of gender.  More research should be conducted in the background of those types of people.  However, being a realist I believe that we as adults are unable to change the past and must move forward and change the conflicting issues we deal with personally on a daily basis.  I have no quick answer to solve the problem of discrimination in society.  I believe it will continue to pose problems until eternity.  We must learn to curtail the effects of negativity and the human race will persevere.  

REFERENCES

Schmalleger, Frank.  Criminal Justice Today: An Introductory Text for the 21^st Century. Prentice Hall. 2003.

Gaines, Larry. Victor E. Kappler.  (2003). Policing in America. Cincinnati: Anderson Publishing Co.

US Department of Justice.  Bureau of Justice Statistics Sourcebook.  Ed. Kathleen Maguire and Ann L. Pastore.  2000.

US Census Bureau.  Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2001.  121 ed.

Women Peace Officers Association.  Los Angeles Police Historical Society. 1999-2000.  10/2/2002  http://www.wpoaca.com/archives/wells.html. 

International Association of Women Police.  1996-2002. 10/2/2002
http://www.iawp.org/history/pastpresent.htm.  

[Comments: Some decent length to your Introduction section, almost getting into the Literature Review. It's workable, and should make for an interesting paper.]
[Comments: I just cut and pasted what you turned in for part 2]
[Comments: Some of your graphics didn't come thru on your diskette]
[Comments: I added Part 4, but didn't touch up any revisions you made in earlier sections. I was afraid I'd mess up the tables.  Students have one last chance to do a final touch up before the last day of class.]

Last updated: 11/26/02