Gender discrimination and family stressors: Perceptions and experiences of women police officers

Abstract

Women police officers may experience discrimination and work–life balance challenges that can impede their entry into and advancement and retention within police organizations. This study used in-depth interviews with 14 women police officers in the St. Louis, MO, metropolitan region to examine workplace stressors, experiences within policing, and perceptions of whether and how gender influenced those stressors and experiences. Participants expressed that they experienced discrimination based on gender, including direct discrimination, such as denial of specialized training, denial of lateral changes in duty assignments, and barriers to career advancement, and indirect discrimination in the form of teasing, harassment, and higher expectations. Many participants also reported they deployed coping strategies to insulate themselves from those experiences, isolated themselves from situations that might result in discrimination or harassment, or sought ways to mitigate the harm of those experiences. Police departments must create environments that support not just gender representation but gender equity.