Comparing Charges: The Experience of Discrimination and Harassment among Women Police Officers Serving in Australia, the British Isles and the United States of America
| Author | Jennifer Brown |
| DOI | 10.1177/146135579800100303 |
| Date | 01 December 1998 |
| Published date | 01 December 1998 |
| Subject Matter | Theoretical Review Paper |
International Journal of Police Science &Management Volume 1 Number 3
Comparing charges: The experience of
discrimination and harassment among
women police officers serving in
Australia, the British Isles and the United
States of America
Jennifer Brown
Department of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 5XH
Accepted:
29th
June, 1998
Dr
Jennifer Brown is at present asenior
lecturer
and
course director
for
forensic
psychology in the Department
of
Psychology
at the University
of
Surrey. Work
for
the
present
study
began while Dr Brown was the
research manager for the Hampshire Con-
stabulary. A
book
with Professor Frances
Heidensohn
of
Goldsmiths College
of
the
University
of
London discussing the findings
of
all the present data is forthcoming.
ABSTRACT
This paper reports the findings
~f
a sur-
vey
of
policewomen serving in Australia
(n =
206),
the British Isles (n =176)
and the United States
of
America
(USA)
(n =186). Problems
of
undertaking compara-
tive
research
into policewomen are discussed
and
caution
must
be exercised in the interpretation
of
the results, given the opportunistic nature
of
the data collection: delegates attending inter-
national conferences
if
policewomen.
Not-
withstanding limitations o] the
research
design,
several observations are drawn from the data:
the ubiquitous nature
of
sex
discrimination
and
sexual harassment in the police service, greater
similarities between
c1ficers
from the British
Isles and Australia with greatest divergence
evident from those serving in the
USA;
and
variation in terms
if
the frequency with which
support strategies are adopted by policewomen.
Explanations in terms
if
aspects
if
masculinity
and womenSnetworking are offered to account
for
differences between the policewomen.
INTRODUCTION
Background
The
present
paper
provides
a
three-way,
cross-cultural
comparison
of
policewomen's
experiences
of
sexual
harassment
and
sex
discrimination
in
Australia,
the
British
Isles
and
the
USA.
The
goals
of
comparative
studies are
to
describe
constants
and
contrasts,
explain
differences,
predict
outcomes
and
apply
to
practice
(Mawby,
1990,
p.4).
To date,
most
research
on
policewomen
has
concentrated
on
individual
forces
or
countries
(for
the
USA
see
work
by
Martin,
1980,
1989
and
Hunt,
1980;
for
England
and
Wales see
Jones,
1986;
Young,
1991;
Walklate,
1992
and
Brown,
1998;
and
for
Australia see
Prenzler,
1994;
Wimshurst,
1995
and
Sutton,
1996).
Policewomen's
reported
experiences
are
difficult to
compare
across
these
studies
because
of
the
different
research
methodologies
adopted
and
time
at
which
data
were
collected.
However,
it is
possible
to
conclude
from
the
evidence
presented
by
these
studies
that
International
journal
of Police
Science and Management.
Vol. 1
No.3,
199H,pp. 227-240.
©Henry
Stewart Publications,
1461-3557
Page 227
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