NCJ Number
184235
Journal
Journal of Labor Research Volume: 20 Issue: 4 Dated: Fall 1999 Pages: 571-587
Date Published
1999
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Data from 1981, 1987, and 1990/91 formed the basis of an analysis of the factors that affect the hiring of female police officers by municipal police agencies.
Abstract
The statistics came from three sources: (1) the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s EEO-4 survey, (2) the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics survey conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and (3) the Police Personnel Practices survey performed by the International City/County Management Association. Results revealed that affirmative action litigation significantly increased the hiring of new female recruits. However, female political representation in the form of female city councilors or mayors did not significantly affect the gender composition of police recruits. A result that was consistent with co-worker discrimination was that the hiring of female recruits was negatively related to the proportion of males already employed in the agency. Furthermore, male-dominated police agencies were more likely to use fitness exams for police recruits than were more integrated agencies; these exams are a potential barrier to women. The effect of a police union was mixed. Unions appeared to boost the hiring of female officers, but they were also associated with an increased likelihood of using fitness exams to screen new police recruits. Tables, notes, appended table, and 30 references (Author abstract modified)