NCJ Number
201107
Date Published
2001
Length
85 pages
Annotation
This Australian report provides an analysis of the experiences of managers, particularly female managers, of the rank of Inspector and above, and equivalent nonsworn levels and the issues that may provide barriers to career development or facilitating factors enabling women to reach senior positions.
Abstract
Due to concerns raised at the Second Australian Conference of Women and Policing held in 1999 regarding the relatively low numbers of women in senior police management positions, a survey questionnaire was mailed to 254 participants in 7 Australian jurisdictions and in New Zealand seeking to expand the understanding of the barriers to career advancement, as well as facilitating factors that enable women to reach senior positions within police agencies. The measures used were a combination of psychologically valid instruments and open-ended questions used to explore the experiences of participants in further detail. The measures used include: career barriers, organizational commitment, discriminatory behaviors, sexual discrimination, job satisfaction, career intentions, self perceptions, work/family conflict, support, stress, personal and professional development, media, experiences with association/union, and managerial behaviors. Findings indicated that women found sexual discrimination, men’s club, inflexible working patterns, lack of career guidance, prejudice of colleagues, social pressure, and lack of confidence to be greater career barriers than did men. In addition, women found that work spilled over into their family life to a greater extent than did male respondents. There was a perception that women with family responsibilities did not take the job seriously, thereby being under increased pressure to prove their worth as managers. A high proportion of female employees experienced some form of discrimination while in a lower rank or level. Professional development and higher education contribute to an employee’s eligibility for promotion. This study showed no significant difference between the proportion of males or females who had completed additional training. The current low proportion of women police managers indicates that police agencies still have a ways to go in order to provide an environment which values diversity and provides opportunities for women to advance to senior levels. Tables, references, and appendices A and B