Earlier this year a female police officer made headlines for losing her job after engaging in an affair with several married male colleagues. For a brief flash, this woman became a household name. The men involved in the story did not.
Female behavior continues to be viewed differently than the same activity performed by males. This is true everywhere, but it’s particularly prominent in male-dominated fields like policing. Women law enforcement officers are subject to different standards and assumptions.
Not only does this disparity create a hostile work environment, but it discourages female participation in the field. In this article, we talk about how male police officers can support their female colleagues, and make law enforcement more gender inclusive.
The Situation
Women police officers are an asset to the communities that they serve. Not only are they just as effective as their male counterparts, but they actually often produce better outcomes. They are much less likely to use force in the line of duty. They are infrequently cited in ethical violations and are generally recognized for their distinguished contributions to the profession.
They also just make law enforcement more approachable for some people. Women make up approximately half the victims of violent crime (though men are much more likely than women to be murdered) and yet only 13% of police officers are female.
For some women, it may be difficult to open up to a male police officer regarding the nature of their assault. This is particularly true in cases of sexual violence. About 90% of adult sexual assault victims are women. The reporting process is notoriously invasive and retraumatizing in the best of circumstances.
It can be harder yet to divulge sensitive details to male police officers. Having more diverse representation on the police force is a good way to make community interactions of every variety go smoother.
It builds trust and generally serves to change public perception about law enforcement. None of this is to say that female police officers belong on the force to exist only as a lifeline for female victims. While they fill this role well, they also:
- Demonstrate significantly higher problem-solving skills than their male counterparts. Police officers’ jobs are all about conflict resolution. Women are consistently better at finding peaceful, effective solutions for on-duty situations.
- Better communication skills. Women in every profession also score higher than men in the department of interpersonal relationships. Communication, like problem-solving skills, is a critical element of conflict resolution and de-escalation.
- People just trust them more. This is another point that is general to all women. It’s also a little controversial, with many cultural-evolution theories getting tossed around to explain it. Controversial or not, however, it consistently tests true: women are perceived as being more trustworthy than men. Trustworthiness is an essential component of how police officers interact with the communities that they serve.
Despite their many assets, women do face hurdles on the job. They are more likely to receive sexist or racist remarks. Their authority is frequently questioned. They simply don’t always experience the same level of respect that their male counterparts receive. What can be done to bridge the perception gap and secure more equitable treatment for female police officers?
The Role of Allyship
Allyship can be a bit of a loaded territory. Support is obviously a good thing. It helps move cultural initiatives forward. However, there is always the risk of majority group “saviorship.” The uncomfortable idea that a minority group (in this case a vocational minority) only gets the dignity that the controlling group is willing to give them is less than ideal.
The gay rights movement is a classically cited example of allyship at its best. For decades, centuries even, gay people were relegated to the category of social taboo by many. Then, over the course of several years, they not only achieved marriage equality, but the gay rights community also managed to radically change the way they were socially perceived.
Twenty years ago, only 40% of people supported marriage equality. That number is now 70%. What happened? Good allyship played a strong role. Young gay adults normalized telling their stories to the people that cared about them. Those people, in turn, largely became allies and helped to flip a one thousand-year-old script on human rights.
Is this going somewhere?
Well, yes. The gay rights movement is considered one of the most effective human rights efforts of all time. It also provides a great playbook for how other minority groups can achieve their goals and change perceptions.
Female officers can help this process by sharing their stories and speaking plainly about what sort of help they want or need. Male officers can listen, and lend the support that is asked of them.
What Female Officers Need from Their Male Coworkers
You mean besides listening?
Yes. While the primary form of ally-driven support will always be to listen, male police officers can also help their female coworkers by maintaining a safe and equitable workspace.
Work culture describes how it feels to work at a certain place. In the context of gender equity within policing, this means prioritizing an environment in which people of all backgrounds feel comfortable and welcome to participate.
Female police officers widely report experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace. Even women cops who are not facing more egregious forms of gender-related abuse say that their abilities are underestimated by their male colleagues.
Obviously, these are generalizations that won’t apply to every local police force. Nevertheless, it is always good to step outside one’s self and imagine how comments and behaviors might be perceived by someone of a different background.
Law enforcement is far from the only sector of employment that is being asked to re-examine its biases and attitudes. Context is important here. Keep in mind that women have only occupied a sizeable section of the workforce for the last seventy years or so. Change is gradual, and work cultures, when left unexamined, will often inadvertently favor the majority group.
It will take a concerted effort for male police officers to give their female colleagues the support that they deserve. True change is not a one-time effort, but an ongoing collaboration. Female officers need to vocalize their experiences. Male officers need to be willing to listen and implement actions that are most conducive to workplace equality.
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This content is made possible by Andrew Deen.
Photo by todd kent on Unsplash