‘No one likes a grass’ Female police officers’ experience of workplace sexual harassment: A qualitative study
| Published date | 01 June 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/14613557231157185 |
| Author | Hannah Davis,Sophie Lawrence,Emily Wilson,Fay Sweeting,Annabel Poate-Joyner |
| Date | 01 June 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Original Research Articles |
‘No one likes a grass’Female police officers’
experience of workplace sexual harassment:
A qualitative study
Hannah Davis
Investigative Forensic Psychology, Bournemouth University, UK
Sophie Lawrence
Investigative Forensic Psychology, Bournemouth University, UK
Emily Wilson
Investigative Forensic Psychology, Bournemouth University, UK
Fay Sweeting
Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, UK
Annabel Poate-Joyner
Clinical Psychologist, Poole, UK
Abstract
Sexual harassment is multifaceted and complicated, creating a hostile environment dominated by sexually motivated beha-
viours. It is experienced by many, particularly in the workplace. For example, many police officers experience sexual har-
assment from a colleague. Despite this, sexual harassment remains under-researched, with limited exploration into
victims’experiences first-hand. As such, the current study aimed to research female police officers’experiences of sexual
harassment by colleagues to investigate risk factors of sexual harassment and barriers to reporting. Seven transcripts
were collected using semi-structured interviews, both in-person and online. Despite the assurance of anonymity, officers
feared coming forward for research owing to identification concerns. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used
for the analysis to extract in-depth accounts from participants. Results showed that police culture contributed signifi-
cantly to facilitating sexual harassment. For example, a male-dominant force, a hierarchical structure and the blue wall
of silence. In addition, participants faced barriers to reporting sexual harassment. For example, a rumour mill culture
and oppositional reactions from colleagues. Furthermore, the sexual harassment that the participants faced negatively
affected their attitudes to work, and their physical and mental health.
Keywords
Sexual bullying, Victims, Police misconduct, Sexual harassment, Sexism.
Submitted 22 Sep 2022, Revise received 23 Nov 2022, accepted 26 Jan 2023
Introduction
There is no universal definition for sexual harassment
because defining it can be challenging owing to the
Corresponding author:
Fay Sweeting, Poole House, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University,
Fern Barrow, Poole BH12 5BB, UK.
Email: fsweeting@bournemouth.ac.uk
Original Research Article
International Journal of
Police Science & Management
2023, Vol. 25(2) 183–195
© The Author(s) 2023
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DOI: 10.1177/14613557231157185
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