Women after Policing: Reflections on Police Culture and Misogyny

Misogyny and sexual harassment have long been debated in academic circles as features of police ‘culture’. Despite developments and reforms, misogynistic attitudes and behaviours amongst officers in forces across the UK and further afield seem to endure. Their continuing presence and endemic nature are now truths the police themselves have at last publicly acknowledged. From ‘spy cops’ deceiving women into having sexual relationships; police perpetrated domestic abuse; to the rape and murder of women by serving officers it is, at last, impossible to ignore the darkness within. As a recent Inspectorate report notes, a ’culture of misogyny, sexism and predatory behaviour’ is ‘prevalent in many forces’. This research explored police workplace culture from a seldom heard perspective, i.e., women police officers. Eight interviews with women who were former police officers and recent leavers were completed. These semi-autobiographical interviews asked about experiences of misogyny and sexual harassment in the workplace; how interviewees navigated these experiences; what (if any) avenues for support were available, and to what extent experiences impacted continuing professional development and/or career. Initial analysis has revealed the extent to which misogynistic attitudes and behaviour from other police officers was a significant, often recurring, feature in the lives of the women whilst serving officers. Voice (or lack of voice) and loss were also key themes. The re-search adds further evidence to existing scholarship on policing as a site of misogyny. It simultaneously raises questions about what more needs to be done to counter misogyny attitudes and behaviours within the police.