Culture for Women and Ethnic minorities in Policing
Officers, stress plays an important role in the effectiveness of a police officer both on and off duty. Police officers face several types of stress while on the job. The most common sources of stress come from internal and external factors. Eu-stress is a common type of stress that is normal and good, even considering the nature of the job of police officers. Distress is behavior outside of the normal range and is harmful to police over a long period of time. Within the department, internal stress factors include officers facing long hours, constant shift changes, issues of pay, lack of promotions, and excessive paperwork. Some external stress sources include overly critical media coverage of police activities and investigations, lack of community support, overly lenient courts, and an ineffective criminal justice system.
When it comes to race within law enforcement, male police officers still question whether women can handle the dangerous situations and physical confrontations that officers may be confronted with, while it is shown that most police women have easily met the expectations of their superiors. Indeed, studies have found that, in general, male and female officers perform in similar ways. In addition, research has found that most citizens have positive things to say about the work of police women (Worden, 2003). Once on the job, women often must contend with prejudice from their male colleagues and citizens alike. In particular, a woman officer may encounter resistance when they assert their authority. Women officers are often subjected to sexist remarks, more overt forms of sexual harassment, and may also find it hard to gain promotions. The role of women in police work will undoubtedly evolve along with changes in the nature of policing, in cultural values, and in the organization of law enforcement.
Before the 1970’s, many police departments did not hire nonwhites. As this...