Women have always been fighting to achieve gender equality both at home and at their places of work (Tweed, p. 1). As a result, the number of females in most professions has risen significantly. However, female professionals still rank lower in top management compared to men in the same positions. Additionally, they are fewer compared to their male counterparts across all places of work despite being nearly the same in numbers during graduation. For example, the law enforcement profession was traditionally perceived as a man’s only job by society. Today, more men have infiltrated careers that were traditionally viewed as “feminine careers” compared to women in male dominated jobs. This essay analyzes the experience of females in careers perceived to be manly, in particular, law enforcement.
Importantly, women officers in leadership roles are forced to be tougher than men as they will be viewed as “weak” otherwise. Additionally, when the same officer acts more assertively, she is considered to be too domineering (Tweed, p. 4). Socially, female workers are expected to behave in a submissive way when being around their male counterparts. Therefore, women leaders in the police forces are not as respected as their male colleagues. Earning such respect for a woman leader would require more work which is not fair at all. Secondly, the performance reviews for female leaders in the police force mostly get negative ratings even though they use the same styles as men (Tweed, p. 4). The negative sentiments come from the males competing for that particular position. As a consequence, women are disadvantaged in the race for any top leadership positions. Therefore, female leaders have to outperform their male colleagues to get positive credit or even keep their jobs.
Thirdly, because of their small sizes, women were seen as unable to work in the force as they were prone to assault (Tweed, p. 7). Consequently, when they wanted to lead, it was seen as endangering their colleagues as they could not even protect themselves. What led to this belief was the fact that women used tactics that required less physical force and authority than men (Tweed, p. 8). Besides, many female professionals try to use verbal communication to counter any violence, which makes them seem weak. Moreover, women are held back by their family responsibilities. Considering the sacrifice and commitment that a leader is expected to show, female leaders are at a disadvantage as their families still need them. Society considers the family as the number one priority for women. However, men are allowed to put their careers before their families as they are the breadwinners, which puts them in a more favorable position to excel in their careers.
Furthermore, the fairer gender tend to lack the confidence needed to fight for leadership positions once there is a chance (Tweed, p. 31). Essentially, this lack of confidence is due to the fear that they may not be as good as their male colleagues, which may make them failures in the future (Tweed, p. 31). Women believe that they would have more to deal with than men if they lose. Furthermore, due to their emotional nature, females tend to find it hard to differentiate between the non-success of a job and personal defeat. Besides, younger women do not have as many older female colleagues in leadership positions to act as their role models (Tweed, p. 32). Mentorship is one of the best motivations to continue one’s career advancement. As a result, men, who have other males in top leadership positions to look up to, tend to advance faster in their fields than their female counterparts. Besides, the lack of other women in these top positions tends to deter the potential female leaders as they think they cannot do it as well. Shockingly, when mentored by men, female professionals are likely to have negative experience, unlike when mentored by a female (Tweed, p. 32). Furthermore, male mentors tend to force their aggressive characteristics and behaviors on the ladies they are mentoring. As a result, women tend to avoid male mentors.
Besides, female leaders are seen as likely to be easily manipulated (Tweed, p. 7). As a result, giving women leaders a leadership position in a profession as crucial as law enforcement was considered very risky. Manipulation of female workers is easy as they are soft-hearted, which makes them have stronger feelings than their male counterparts. As a result, feelings may block their judgment, which may be dangerous when making significant decisions. Additionally, most women leaders in the police force have encountered some sexual harassment (Tweed, p. 30). Shockingly, most of this comes from ordinary citizens and suspects being arrested (Tweed, p. 30). When there is a promotion opportunity, those responsible may ask for sexual favors from the competing females. Such a situation might put the female at a lower chance of getting the promotion. As a result, men tend to have a higher chance of excelling in their career than their female counterparts as they do not have to give any sexual favors to get the job.
Work Cited
Tweed, Carla. Women in Leadership, in a Male-Dominated Field, Specifically the California Highway Patrol. 2018. Brandman University, PhD Dissertation.