The Influence Of Social Norms

Introduction In today’s society everyone strives for ‘political correctness’ and fair treatment in reference to race, religion, ethnicity, and gender without recognizing that the majority of American society still harbor biases which have been so ingrained that the behavior has become a social norm. One social norm is expressed through gender expectation of what is appropriate for males versus what is appropriate for females. These social norms are starting to be challenged as evident when the New York Times announced in their article by V. Friedman that Jaden Smith, a young male, will be posing in a skirt for the 2016 Louis Vuitton campaign. (Jan/Feb 2016) This ad campaign is challenging gender bias but I suspect the campaign will have little
For the first three months, I received multiple condescending comments and inquiries from other Officers as to whether I could run in my shoes though my male counterparts were never questioned despite their shoes having a greater tendency to hinder running more than mine. I also received other comments focused primary on my physical appearance or attributes. Other Officers stopped commenting on my attire after another negotiator and I tackled a suicidal subject from the side railing of a bridge but it took these drastic steps for them to stop commenting on my appearance. I also observed that a specific District Judge who never had an issue with me before when I was in uniform seemed to continuously make comments in reference to my attire after I became a detective. This same judge once asked why I failed to wear a suit to testify to the grand jury, though I was dressed in a manner appropriate to my agency and the court and similar to an outfit that I had worn before that he complimented. This same judge never comments on the male detective’s attire which is less formal and more
Most people are often at least surprised when they are confronted by a female officer, in uniform or as a detective. Despite people’s initial obvious surprise and disorientation, I find most people still respect the authority which my job entitles and pose little difficulty preventing me from completing my job regardless of being a female. I have also learned that it is easier to be accepted and respected from the general public as a female officer than it is by male officers and others males within the criminal justice system. Though my experience is unique to my career, my agency, and my community, I believe that it can explain to a great degree why few females pursue a career in Law Enforcement and why fewer stay long enough to retire from Law Enforcement. This conclusion is supported by the fact that when I started at my agency, there were a total of seven sworn female officers in an agency of 50 sworn officers yet currently there are only three females in the same size agency. Over a few years the female officers dwindle with four of the original seven females quitting Law Enforcement field entirely and one moved but stayed within the field of Law Enforcement. Myself and another female remained while we recently hired a new