The Underrepresentation of Women Police Officers in the United States.

Abstract

This study explores reasons behind the underrepresentation of women police officers in the United States. Between July and October, 2022, a total of 81 women from five departments completed an online anonymous survey asking their opinions and experiences relating to the recruitment and retention of women police officers. Reporting on recruitment—e.g., the most common factor that kept women from entering or staying in the profession, women reported being most constrained by the culture of policing, including the stress and danger inherently involved in police work, and public perceptions of policing—for example, as involving police violence, harassment, discrimination and excessive force. Reporting on factors affecting their retention as police, a sizable minority of women noted harassment from male officers once on the job, as well as child and dependent care issues. However, many women in the study also reported that their police departments make an effort to proactively recruit women and that gender inequities in pay, task assignment and other forms did not seem to deter women from entering policing. Though gender inequality issues remain, many of the women noted increasing numbers of women in the police, including women in leadership positions. Overall, my survey findings suggest that police culture, more than institutional policy, is a barrier to gender equality in police departments, and suggestions will be made regarding how to change police culture.