It's Nothing New: Gender Inequalities in Law Enforcement

It's Nothing New: Gender Inequalities in Law Enforcement

Introduction

The topic that I have selected for my research project is It's Nothing New: Gender Inequalities in Law Enforcement. The problem of gender inequality in law enforcement is old in that there has always been a lack of women in the field of law enforcement. One of the reasons for this is the lack of interest on the part of women themselves. In addition, the ones that are interested in joining the law enforcement agencies have been found to have encountered many problems (Home Office, 2010). The paper is based on the research on an article linked to the same research topic. The article that has been selected for review is called Gender Inequality in Law Enforcement and Males' Attitudes and Perceptions toward Women Working in Law Enforcement.

Discussion

The first and foremost reason behind the lack of gender inequality in law enforcement is perceived to be the attitude of men working in the field. This could not be farther from reality. The world in general has become more open to the idea of women working in different domains even where they were not expected to be working. And the attitude of men has changed for the better (Harrington, 1997).

However, to date this is considered to be the biggest barrier at the start of career. Handling of violent situations is considered much easier by men in that they are stronger. Women have not been able to achieve too much in the field in that there is scepticism when it comes to their ability to counter violence. They may have been trained but the fact that the fairer sex is nimble remains. Dangerous situations involve defending oneself. While women may be able to think strategically to ensure their defence they cannot do so physically (Del Carmen & Greene, 2002).

Another reason that has been cited in research is that men feel threatened by the presence of women and working with them side by side. They feel intimated with the idea of women working as well as them. However, the law enforcement agencies in the US are trying that an officer may be assigned responsibilities and given their share of rights on the basis of their designation and not on the basis of their gender.

A more stark revelation of the research is that the negative attitude towards inclusion of females in the law enforcement has been seen in the younger generation. This is contrary to the argument given above that the world has become more acceptable to the idea of women working (Davis, 2005). This has a psychological perspective to it. Psychologists believe that these young men have the preconceived notion that they are to perform better than their female counterparts at all times. With more and more competent females entering the law enforcement, there is a chance that they will not be able to perform better. Hence, the negativity.

While the attitude of men towards their female ...