Female Officers in Masculine Countries 07/19/2010

Over the past 50 years America has made headway in assimilating females into the police force, but America is not the only country making changes in police hiring practices. Many other counties are beginning to see the benefits of having females in their police force, however, that is not to say that these women are having an easy time being accepted by their male counterparts and the rest of their country. In traditionally oppressed countries, females are struggling to gain acceptance in their newfound roles as peace officers.

In some countries, the basic law enforcement necessities are either not given or issued in a gender specific manner to female officers. In 2009, the London Metropolitan Police was still issuing men’s uniforms to women, as they had not developed a uniform cut to fit a woman’s form (Williams, 2009). In order for their uniforms to fit them correctly, the women had to have their uniforms tailored. For example in China, a police woman’s uniform consists of a knee length shirt and wedge boots, compared to Russia’s female uniform, which is a short skirt and two inch black heels. This shows that female uniforms are all different around the world and that the uniform depends on the country they are in.

While female officers in the United States struggle to overcome discrimination, officers in other countries suffer from more severe forms of sexual harassment. In Uganda, the police women are severely harassed. The female officers face sexual harassment, victimization, lack of support from their supervisors, and a failure to be promoted, paid, or provided an adequate uniform and housing (Ssejjoba, 2009). Some police women must perform sexual favors for their superiors in order to be deployed or promoted while other officers state that they were sexually abused by their male counterparts, and as a result, contracted HIV (Ssejjoba, 2009).

Currently, the Afghan Nation Police is looking to hire an additional 5,000 female officers to supplement its current 1,000 female officers (Brown, 2010). However, the Afghan government is struggling to recruit women due to hash discrimination, continuous death threats, lack of familial support, and general negativity female applicants experience. On September 28, 2008, Lieutenant-Colonel Malalai Kakar—Afghan’s most prominent and highly ranked female officer—was assassinated outside her home on her way to work (The Times, 2008).

Despite the inherent dangers of the job, police women perform invaluable tasks that male officers, due to Afghan culture, cannot perform. In Afghan culture, men cannot approach another man’s wife, enter a home when women are within the common areas, or touch women (which means they cannot search them); all of these cultural restrictions severely inhibit the police (The Times, 2008; Brown, 2010; Vogt, 2009). When the Taliban started recruiting females for suicide bombings and shooting, the ability to search a female has become paramount. Female officers, though cultural standards, can do those tasks, giving the police a huge advantage.

As each country advances towards a more diverse police force, the benefits of hiring females becomes apparent. For many countries, the cultural standards that prevent females from entering the force also prevent males from preforming their jobs adequately. Governments are beginning to realize that having a gender-balanced police force provides invaluable opportunities that were not available to an all male police force.

Works Cited

Brown, S. (2010, February 3). Afghan National Police Seeks 5,000 Policewomen Per Karzai . Retrieved from NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan : http://www.ntm-a.com/news/categories/police/2-afghan-national-police-discuss-plan-future?lang

Ssejjoba, E. (2009, April 12). Uganda: Police Women Cite Sexual Abuse. Retrieved from All Africa: http://allafrica.com/stories/200904130492.html

The Times. (2008, October 17). Lieutenant-Colonel Malalai Kakar. Retrieved from The Sunday Times: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article4957228.ece

Vogt, H. (2009, December 30). Missourian. Retrieved from Afghan police work helps women overcome barriers : http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2009/12/30/afghan-police-work-overcome-barriers-women/

Williams, R. (2009, Mqy 13). Policewomen forced to wear men's uniforms. Retrieved from Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/13/police-women-uniform-sexism