Role Incongruity of Women in United States Law Enforcement: A National Survey Exploring Global and Specific Resistance in a Gendered Organization

Abstract

Since the 1990s, there has been a lot of research on women in policing and resistance to their entry into the field. Much of the research has examined specific resistance (i.e., individualized resistance based on perceived performance), whereas fewer studies today examine global resistance (i.e., resistance to women police in general). Applying role congruity theory, global and specific resistance by men coworkers, administrators, and the public was examined for a national sample of 358 women in United States law enforcement. It was found that women in law enforcement received slightly more global resistance from the public, whereas men coworkers displayed more specific resistance, and specific resistance was more likely to occur in areas related to the perceived ability of women to handle a masculine job. Multivariate analyses revealed that law enforcement remains a gendered organization with continued role incongruity for women.