That’s what I want to be when I grow up: female officers’ pathways, motivations, and strengths for police recruitment

Abstract Although the number of female police officers in the United States has increased gradually over the past few decades, women still comprise less than 14 per cent of sworn police officers. Traditional recruitment strategies, particularly marketing materials, have been largely ineffective in attracting women, yet little research has examined how recruitment messaging might better align with how women experience policing. Drawing on signaling theory, this study uses semi-structured interviews with 24 female officers across two US police departments to examine how women’s motivations, recruitment pathways, and self-identified strengths can inform recruitment practices. By centering the voices of female officers and applying signaling theory, this study identifies how recruitment messaging can better align with women’s lived experiences and offers actionable strategies to improve recruitment efforts.