Gender Bias In Law Enforcement Essay

Debates about women in law enforcement careers have been a topic since the first woman entered the police force. Women have been a part of the law enforcement arena for over one hundred years. The duties of these women have changed since their humble beginnings back in about 1845, but there still seems to still be some gender biases when it concerns women in this or any other career. Gender bias, according to freedictionary.com, is the unequal treatment in employment opportunity and expectations due to attitudes based on the sex of an employee. This bias could be the reason that the female numbers in law enforcement are still low as compared to the ratio of men in the same career. Despite the challenges that have women have encountered during their journey, they have met the challenges with dignity and perseverance. Gender bias has changed some over the years, but it still exists. Take for instance certain occupations that employ mainly females. Research has shown that predominantly female occupations pay less, on average, than jobs with a higher …show more content…
Although some hiring standards have been set high, women still seem to beat those standards and get hired. Women should be looked at as an asset rather than as something that is intrusive in the law enforcement field. There are so many reasons to employ women in law enforcement that they outweigh the reasons that shallow people may give on why women do not belong. Despite what anyone may believe on the topic it is ultimately up to the department to make things better for all parties involved. It is, after all, the goal of a police department to recruit and retain a quality group of officers who reflect and represent the community they serve. This should include women and minorities. It is also important to remember that the ideal officer is neither male nor female, but a combination of admirable and reputable traits that embody what our communities desire. (Woolsey,