By Juliana King
A recent recent research study conducted by Vanessa M. Diaz and Lidia E. Nuno of California State University explores the gender gap in policing. In their article titled “Women and Policing: An Assessment of Factors Related to the Likelihood of Pursuing a Career as a Police Officer” they examine individual, group, and cultural factors that shape policing. As Dias and Nuno write, “In this article we are asked to understand why the percentage of women as police officers has slowly risen to 12% representation and what are the current most influential mitigating factors.” A key variable for the researchers is the “male-dominated nature of policing, which has historically excluded women from its ranks mainly due to perceptions of policing as physically demanding, dangerous, and a sexist occupation (Diaz and Nuno, 2021) This led the researchers to ask the questions related to “personal characteristics, perceptions of the profession, and the current socio-political climate.” (Diaz and Nuno, 2021)
The study surveyed almost 400 current students at California State University enrolled in criminology courses to see why they were or were not interested in becoming a police officer. The survey included a variety of ethnicities and included women and men to assess responses for gender differences or similarities. They used an online Qualtrics survey system and stratified random sampling to eliminate systematic bias. One surprising finding was that physical fitness capability influenced more than gender capability in the feeling of wanting to pursue being a police officer. This also showed how recruitment could be overstating the physical requirements for the role and leaving out other equally as important parts like report writing, social work, and job-related trauma exposure. Physically fit men and women were more likely to want to become police officers. While the socio-political climate at that time was a negative influence on wanting to become a police officer, I would recommend for it to have been evaluated differently because it is a variable that did become obsolete upon change of administration. Some limitations that were stated were the analysis of only one population location and the small size studied.
Going forward, criminal justice professionals should be aware of some of the positive ways women can contribute to the role of policing. The researchers felt that including women in policing roles they would be able to “be more effective than men in de-escalating violence, building trust in the community, and using an appropriate amount of force.” (Diaz and Nuno, 2021) Recruiters could work on making women aware and not intimidated by physical expectations for the role and emphasizing their strengths that make them a viable recruit like report writing, and citizen relations.
Diaz, V. M., & Nuño, L. E. (2021). Women and Policing: An Assessment of Factors Related to the Likelihood of Pursuing a Career as a Police Officer. Police Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1177/10986111211009048