Addressing Barriers to Promotion for Female Officers in Municipal Policing in Canada
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by British Columbia's network of post-secondary digital repositories ADDRESSING BARRIERS TO PROMOTION FOR FEMALE OFFICERS IN MUNICIPAL POLICING IN CANADA by Michelle L. Davey Bachelor of Human Kinetics, University of British Columbia, 1996 MAJOR PAPER SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS (CRIMINAL JUSTICE) In the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice © Michelle Davey 2020 UNIVERSITY OF THE FRASER VALLEY Winter 2020 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. Approval Name: Michelle Davey Degree: Master of Arts (Criminal Justice) Degree Title: Addressing Barriers to Promotion for Female Officers in Municipal Policing in Canada Examining Committee Zina Lee GPC Chair Director, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice ____________________________________________________________ Erin Osterberg Senior Supervisor Assistant Professor, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice ____________________________________________________________ Irwin Cohen Second Reader Associate Professor, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice ____________________________________________________________ Date Defended/Approved: ______________May 1, 2020______________________________ ii Abstract Female police officers face numerous barriers to promotion in municipal policing in Canada. For a variety of reasons, including that policing remains male-dominated, there are very few female officers in higher ranking positions in municipal police agencies in Canada. With few female leaders comes a lack of female role models, mentors, and the female influence in decision making at executive levels. This has had a broad effect on how police agencies respond to the communities they serve. This research summarized the value women bring to the policing profession and explored the barriers to promotion identified in the literature that have affected the number of women in senior leadership roles in Canada. The empirical data collected in this study is derived from surveys completed by 413 police officers working in several municipal police organizations in Canada. The intent of the survey was to explore the real and perceived barriers female officers experience in promotion to higher ranks. The results of the survey offered some important findings, including that barriers to promotion for women still exist in Canadian municipal policing. Recommendations are made suggesting ways that police leaders could use the information derived from this research to address real and perceived barriers to promotion for female officers in their respective policing agencies. iii Acknowledgements This degree required an incredible effort to juggle personal and work commitments. I could not have completed it without the love and support of several key people. I would like to thank my daughter who let me do my homework when all I really wanted to do was play with her (homework again mom??!! Come on!!). Dr. Jennie Gill was an incredible sounding board for me and helped me to conceptualize how this passion of mine could be consolidated into words in a paper. She was instrumental in the development of my survey and helping me understand the data. I am grateful for her insight, support, and helping me stay motivated to finish. I owe significant gratitude to my employer, the Vancouver Police Department, for allowing me the time to complete my studies and the support to continue my education. I am truly grateful for the flexibility and encouragement to pursue my education goals. I would also like to thank Dr. Irwin Cohen for his advice and editing of my final submission. It was a great team effort and I learned a tremendous amount from our discussions. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the tireless efforts of my advisor Erin Osterberg, who encouraged me every step of the way during this Master’s program. I could not have completed this paper or this degree without her help. ~Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. iv Dedication I am dedicating this Master’s degree to my daughter, who supported me throughout my journey to learn more, study more, and keep trying to make this world a better place. It is also dedicated to the many women in policing who seek success in promotion – you are good enough, qualified and very capable to lead in policing. You have much to offer in leadership roles in Canadian policing. Please believe in yourselves and go for it! v Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ iv Dedication ................................................................................................................................................ iv List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................ vii List of Tables ......................................................................................................................................... viii Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 1 The Role of Policing ................................................................................................................................ 2 Police Culture ........................................................................................................................................... 3 Women in Policing .................................................................................................................................. 5 Sexual Harassment Complaints Reduced ................................................................................................. 7 Job Specific Benefits ......................................................................................................................................... 8 Improved Public Trust ................................................................................................................................................... 9 Barriers to Promotion .......................................................................................................................... 12 Shift Work ......................................................................................................................................................... 14 Childbearing .................................................................................................................................................... 15 Parenting .......................................................................................................................................................... 17 Gender-Specific Roles in Policing ............................................................................................................ 18 Lack of Role Models and Mentors ............................................................................................................ 21 Tokenism .......................................................................................................................................................... 22 Organizational Barriers .............................................................................................................................. 24 Negative Self-Perception ............................................................................................................................. 25 Methodology ........................................................................................................................................... 26 Results ...................................................................................................................................................... 29 Discussion ................................................................................................................................................ 39 Limitations .............................................................................................................................................. 45 Recommendations ................................................................................................................................. 47 1. Shift Work ............................................................................................................................................... 49 2. Pregnancy and Parenting .................................................................................................................. 51 3. Gender-Specific Roles – Re-Branding ............................................................................................ 52 4. Tokenism ................................................................................................................................................. 53 5. Role Models Formalized Mentoring Programs .......................................................................... 54 6. Negative Self-Perception ................................................................................................................... 55 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................................