Exploring the value of mentorship for women police officers

Abstract

PurposeThe paper explores the prevalence of mentorship opportunities for women police officers, the nature of mentorship relationships, and their perceived effect on women’s career advancement.Design/methodology/approachData consist of online surveys (N = 924) with women police officers working in the United States. A content analysis of emergent themes from one open ended survey question was conducted.FindingsFindings underscore the central importance of mentorship in policing, the lack of mentorship among women due to in-group competition, and participants’ active participation in mentoring future generations of women officers.Originality/valueFactors contributing to the lack of gender diversity and specifically the retention of women in policing, are not well understood. The underrepresentation of women in coveted specialty assignments and upper ranking positions is also of concern. A possible explanation is that women officers lack role models and networking opportunities that are more readily available to men in this male-dominated field, which could encourage women to remain in law enforcement and assist in their career advancement. As many agencies have or are beginning to establish mentorship programs for women, research focused on the need for and effectiveness of mentorship for women officers is needed.