FEMALE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER\u27S EXPERIENCES OF WORKPLACE HARASSMENT

Prior research shows that female police officers experience more incidents of harassment than male police officers, and these experiences of harassment have been shown to have negative effects on their mental and physical health, retention, and job satisfaction. The current study examined the experiences of harassment of 20 female police officers from agencies around Southern California. A survey interview was used, and it was found that none of the women had experienced quid pro quo harassment, but every woman recalled experiencing environmental harassment at some point throughout their career. Hostility towards women was more commonly experienced than harassment which was sexual in nature. Several themes arose from responses to open-ended questions. Female police officers reported that: gender related comments/jokes are not “unwanted”; that they participate in the jokes; gender related jokes are part of the policing culture; and that female officers are negatively targeted because of their sex. Some women stated they did not want to report the harassment and risk ruining their career