Women in Policing: The Assumption of Gender Difference

Women in Policing: The Assumption of Gender Difference
Working Paper # 2010-02 October 2010

Michelle Comeau Center for Public Safety Initiatives Rochester Institute of Technology [e-mail] John Klofas Center for Public Safety Initiatives Rochester Institute of Technology 585-475-2423 [e-mail]

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Abstract A primary argument for the introduction of women into policing is the belief that women bring to the field gender-unique skills and abilities. This argument of “special competencies” has shaped the way women have worked in the field for the last one hundred and seventy years. This paper, the second in the Women in Policing series, examines the assumption of gender difference, the impact of sex role theory on policing, found differences, and the similarities between men and women on patrol. The paper concludes by acknowledging that, while there are inevitably some differences between genders, these differences are not nearly as pronounced as is generally assumed.

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In 1910 Alice Stebbins Wells was hired by the Los Angeles Police Department – effectively becoming the first female officer in the United States – after she successfully petitioned that women were a necessity in policing. The basis of her argument lied in the notion that female officers would bring to the field special competencies that would allow them to handle female- and juvenile-related crimes more effectively than male officers (Garcia, 2003; Grennan, 2000; Price & Gavin, 1981; Lehtinen, 1976). Now, just over a century later, Well’s argument remains one of the primary reasons why women are considered important to law enforcement (Sklansky, 2006). The belief in gender-unique strengths and weaknesses – competencies – is common; traits are thought to be innate or obtained through socialization and are largely seen as gender-specific (Sklansky, 2006). For example, women are thought to be more communicative, nurturing, and empathetic, and less aggressive then men

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