Visions of the Future: The Role of Senior Policewomen as Agents of Change
| Published date | 01 May 1998 |
| Author | Marisa Silvestri |
| Date | 01 May 1998 |
| DOI | 10.1177/146135579900100205 |
| Subject Matter | Theoretical Review Paper |
International Journal of Police Science &Management Volume 1 Number 2
Visions of the future: The role of senior
policewomen as agents of change
Marisa Silvestri
Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College, Department of Human Sciences, Owen
Harris Building, Queen Alexandra Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire HP11 2JZ
tel: 01494 522141; e-mail: m.silvestri@buckscol.ac.uk
Received (in revised form): 5th May, 1998
InternationalJournal ofPolice
Science and Management,
Vo!. 1 No. 2, 1998,pp. 148-161.
©Henry
Stewart Publications.
136(}-8576
Page 148
Marisa Silvestri is aLecturer in Criminology
at
Buckinghamshire Chilterns University Col-
lege. Her major research interests lie within
the field
of
gender, crime
and
justice, in
particular, policing
and
gender.
ABSTRACT
Despite the plethora
oj
research
in
policing,
the
majority
oj
studies have
Jocused
almost ex-
clusively on the
lowest
levels
oj
the
organisation
and have paid little attention to gender
issues.
T/ery
little is known about
those
involved in
managementand
leadership
in
policing,
even
less
is known about the ways in which management
and
leadership
in the
police
organisation
are
gendered.
As
women move
Jorwards
and up-
wards
in
organisations,
the
tension
between
organisations
and
leadership
as mediated by
genderhas
become
an
increasingly
topical
area
oj
study. This paper aims to explore and draw
together
some
oj
the
concerns
with
leadership
and
gender which
are
being
raised
during
debates
about new
directions,
Junctions and
structures
within
organisations,
and
applies
them to the
police
organisation. It
proposes
that
empirical
workbe
carried
out to
ascertain
the
role
that senior
policewomen play in organisational
change,
that
is,
to
bring
into
Jocus
the extent to which women
in
leadership
positions in
policing
are
and
can
become
agents
oj
change.
Keywords: Policewoman, organisa-
tional change, equal opportunity,
leadership, policing, women
INTRODUCTION
Throughout
past decades, organisations
throughout
the
public
and
private
sector
have
undergone
periods
of
change,
with
attempts
to
reorganise
their
directions,
functions
and
structures.
The
role
that
leaders play
in
this
new
order
has
been
central
to discussions
on
organisational
change
with
an
ever
increasing
tendency
to emphasise leadership
and
manage-
ment
as crucial factors
in
bringing
about
change.
The
increased
attention
to
leadership
and
its possible
contribu-
tions
to
change
has
been
accompanied
by a
growing
interest
in
women
at
higher
levels in organisations.
Women
in
management
have
come
to
be
seen
both
as a
symbol
of
and
indeed
a
measure
of
organisational
change.
Women
have
been
moving
forwards
and
upwards
within
organisations:
Britain
in
1998
boasts
two
women
Chief
Constables.
While
it is
undeniable
that
men
continue
to
remain
at
the
top
in
the
police
organisation,
there
is
evidence
that
women,
albeit a small
number,
are slowly
reaching
senior
posi-
tions.
The
increase
in
the
number
of
women
in
key
roles has
been
framed
within
a
broader
discourse
of
organisational
change.
The
transformation
of
organisa-
tions
has
been
accompanied
by a
more
participatory
and
interactive
approach
to
managing
and
leading.
The
traditional
leadership style has
given
way
to a
more
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