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Gender Issues And The Future Of Policing Ultimately, Many Believe That An ...


Gender Issues and the Future of Policing
Ultimately, many believe that an emphasis on equal opportunities will alter the nature of policing in positive ways. Some advocate an altogether different style of policing, though a more gradual approach could involve intensive training relating to equal opportunities as a way of promoting a change in the culture of police organisations.
One positive change could be that the police as a law-enforcement agency will be more representative of the population they are policing. This will almost certainly give them more credibility with many members of the general public, an offer a more balanced, perhaps even more co-operative image of policing. Another positive change linked with equal opportunities is that it provides a way to introduce innovation and modernisation into the police force. Policy changes can often be regarded with suspicion, but the cultural mandate for equal opportunities provides a ready vehicle for opening police work to cutting-edge ideas. Yet another positive change could be increasing the amount of opportunities for women in the police force, making the police force more female friendly and thus presenting police work as a viable option for women interested in that type of career. At the moment, some women in working in the police force feel that they are limited in their prospects with a career in policing. Their opportunities for advancement seem relatively slim and they are not always able to obtain the kind of experience they need either for job satisfaction or to gain access to promotion. It is likely that as long as more men achieve promotion than women, gender stereotypes about doing police work will be reinforced, which will discourage women from pursuing a career in policing, which in turn will result in fewer women in policing. Although Britain has more women in police employment than many other countries, they are still underrepresented in British police work. There could be several reasons for this, but the most likely explanation is simply that a relatively small number of women apply for police positions. The reasons for why a smaller number of women apply have been discussed above, these relate to the impression that the general public have of the police and the experiences that women have had in relation to the police, either as members of the public or as policewomen themselves.
Gender and Policing: Not as Bad as It Seems?
Since the beginning of the movement of women into policing, women have a greater presence in many social institutions, not merely the police. Even those who argue that their presence in social control agencies is largely token must admit that extensive inroads have been made. Though it is doubtful at this stage that women will someday make up half of the police force, it is by no means impossible.


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