Face-to-face interviews with women police officers from the U.S. were used to determine if they experience differential treatment based on gender while at work (tokenism), and if so, the extent to which this treatment influences their decision to pursue promotion. More than half (64%) of the women officers reported being treated differently than their male colleagues. Examples of this treatment include an emphasis by police leadership to hire and promote more women; citizens sexualizing their position as a police officer; and being called upon (because they are women) to conduct interviews with sexual assault victims and to searchwomen and girl suspects. If police leaders choose to emphasize the hiring and promotion of women in their organizations, they must also foster an organizational culture where all police personnel understand that the women being hired and promoted are held to the same standards and expectations as men. The presence of this type of organizational culture could result in fewer workplace experiences of tokenism for women police officers.
Carol A. Archbold (Tue,) studied this question.