NCJ Number
216385
Journal
Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management Volume: 29 Issue: 3 Dated: 2006 Pages: 513-523
Date Published
2006
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study compared male and female police officers in Norway on job demands, work attitudes and outcomes, social resources, and indicators of occupational burnout and psychological health.
Abstract
Compared with female officers, male officers were older, had longer organizational and job tenure, worked more hours and overtime hours, were more likely to work full-time, worked in smaller units, and were at higher organizational levels. There were few differences in job demands between male and female officers; however, male officers reported greater autonomy; this was likely due to being at higher levels in the agency hierarchy. Contrary to previous research, the officers reported similar levels of work outcomes, work attitudes, social support, burnout, and psychological health. Female officers reported higher levels of coworker support than did their male colleagues. Possible explanations for the relatively few gender-related differences in police work in Norway are a policing subculture that does not emphasize machoismo, the general lack of police-community conflict in Norway, and Norway's more accepting climate for women's occupational equality. A total of 221 officers completed a questionnaire that was mailed to a random sample of approximately 500 police officers in the Oslo districts. 5 tables and 29 references