Flying the mother flag : gendered institutions and the lived experiences of police mothers in Australia

Policewomen have always been outsiders in the masculine policing work environment. There is a long history of resentment directed towards policewomen from within police organisations. Recently, a number of Australian police organisations have been undergoing scrutiny, with independent reviews revealing ongoing sexual discrimination and harassment. Policewomen who are mothers and select part-time or flexible work arrangements may encounter even greater discrimination, despite police organisations offering these alternative options to full-time work. Further research on how policewomen juggle their work-life balance while navigating their careers in an often unwelcoming and sometimes hostile work environment is therefore required. In response, Flying the Mother Flag is a qualitative Australian study that foregrounds the experiences of policewomen who are mothers, exploring how motherhood influences women’s career trajectories. The study aims to answer the question, ‘how, if at all, does motherhood impact upon the careers of policewomen?’ Data was collected in 18 in-depth semi-structured interviews with policewomen, and with the assistance of a time-line graph of their career trajectory, which was used as a visual aid. The interviews revealed that many of the police mothers had difficulty accessing part-time/flexible work arrangements. They often had to relocate to feminised sections which featured limited career paths and where their skills and qualifications lay dormant. A small minority of policewomen successfully integrated part-time/flexible work agreements in such a way that their career trajectory had not been negatively impacted. This was often due to particularly accommodating childcare arrangements which were flexible enough to allow the worker to meet the needs of their organisation. However, it was found that the successful implementation of part-time/flexible work policies is dependent on the willingness of the commander to support the needs of the workers. It is also argued that the maternal body is considered abject within police organisations, thus adding to the rejection that policewomen encounter. Overall, the results reveal that, while marginalisation is a common experience for policewomen, police mothers are more likely to experience compounded discrimination. Thus, motherhood has a negative impact on the careers of policewomen. The study adds support to the proposition that motherhood should be included in literature on intersectionality. Possibilities for future policies that may assist police mothers are considered