Gendered leadership strategies: where are the women police?

Abstract

This study examines the continued paucity of women police in key senior leadership positions. Despite the significant progress made by women in paid employment, they still face difficulties in entering into senior leadership roles. A plethora of studies on women in paid employment confirm the slow progress of women in key leadership roles. While the media often reports about the rise of women in leadership in the workplace, the reality appears to be in stark contrast. There are barriers that curtail a woman’s career growth for example the Police Force, an organization that is considered to be gendered. A case in point being the findings of interviews conducted with twenty police women in middle and senior leadership positions suggest that despite the American police force having implemented major changes to incorporate the subsequent growth of women into leadership roles, the number of women in key positions remains low. Moreover, women police officers are not judged by their capabilities, but rather, by a different set of rules.