In the United States black female officers contend with an array of challenges because of their racial background and gender inclination. The law enforcement field is made up of masculine driven policies, qualities and principles. A literature review study by Dodge and Pogrebin (2001), indicate that there is a deep rooted culture in the police which portrays black females as less capable and undervalued. Additional injustices experienced by black female officers include sexual harassment, restriction from certain assignments, sexual innuendo, all driven by racial and gender discrimination.
Having worked for the police department as a civilian employee for a number of years, I have witnessed the injustices subjected to African American law enforcement officers firsthand. It is challenging working in the police department since black females have to prove that they can handle certain tasks and control their emotions. Male officers engage in stereotypical and demeaning conversations that female officers are not eligible for senior positions since they cannot manage their emotions. Working in hyper masculine work environments coupled with horrible treatment orchestrated towards black female’s leaves them feeling misplaced and leads to decreased performance. The annotated bibliography investigates the reasons why black females find it hard to work in a male dominated profession and the horrible treatment the African American officers undergo.
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Thompson, S. M. (2017). Triple Threat: Black, Female, with a Badge. Unpublished master’s thesis). Retrieved from https://www. cji. Edu/site/assets/files/1921/triple_threatblack-female-withabadge. pdf .
The article explores the adverse effects of discrimination that mars law enforcement agencies rooted on gender and race. The effects of gender and race in law enforcement are examined by the text in a white male dominated force. Thompson (2017) notes that African American officers contend with social barriers perpetuated by white and black male police officers. Racism and sexism are two ills that make it hard for black females to work in a male dominated police department. African American females endure the culture of stereotyping that is ingrained within the law enforcement organization. In the 1990s, black female officers dealt with insurmountable hurdles which made it hard to fit in the police force. Disproportionate promotion requirements made it hard for black females to ascend the career ladder in law enforcement. For example, in some police agencies, women were required to have attained a certain age, earn a college education, be married and with children. Male officers were however not required to fulfill the same conditions.
The glass ceiling is therefore a common challenge that makes it hard for black females to work in the male dominated field. As the author conjectures, the requirements set for females are higher than those subjected to Black female officers. During the early history of women police, women had to meet higher standards but were entitled to meager wages. Thompson (2017) notes that “female officers could only perform basic patrol assignments and were only promoted within their bureaus”. The hostile reception experienced by black female officers affect them adversely leading to difficulties fitting in the male dominated arena. The horrible and unfair treatment experienced by black female officers is usually because of their racial origin and gender.
Dodge, M., & Pogrebin, M. (2001). African ‐ American policewomen: An exploration of professional relationships. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management .
The article investigates the job related and professional relationships in the context of African American policewomen. The authors base the research on qualitative data gathered from black women officers in a large urban city. According to Dodge and Pogrebin (2001), difficulties encountered by black women officers are precipitated by racial and gender intersection. The hurdles negatively influence the officer’s self-perceptions and the perceptions of others in the workplace including community members. As the authors emphasize, job related interactions and other issues adversely impact community relationships particularly where minorities are involved. According to various experiences of African American police officers, marginalization is a problematic phenomenon that affect minorities in the law enforcement field. External and internal stressors coupled with sexism and racism negatively affect on the job and off the job relationships thereby exacerbating the difficulties that Black female officers face. Minority police officers contend with unique stressors on the job for example sexist and racial comments, ostracism as well as exclusion from information and informal support channels. As the authors assert, “Women officers are viewed by their peers as incompetent, denied access to information, offered little protection, exposed to profanity and are sexually harassed” ( Dodge & Pogrebin, 2001) .
The enduring hostile environment experienced by African American women officers’ further strain the working relationships within the police department. The black police officers are viewed as outsiders by their counterparts within the police organization. As constructed through social exchanges, gender and race are conjectured as status variables that contribute to the female officer’s subordinate positions. Being cast as outsiders within the police agencies further lead to the marginalization of black female officers. Due to the rejection encountered, some black women officers opt to withdraw from the force as a coping mechanism. Lack of common experience and racism in the police force make whites to psychologically distant themselves from black women. The lack of acceptance from white peers in the workplace often strains the relationships which negatively affects black women officers. The minority black officers experience exclusion and subordination, ills which make it hard to work in the male dominated agencies.
Martin, S. E. (1994). “Outsider within” the station house: The impact of race and gender on Black women police. Social Problems , 41 (3), 383-400.
The text authored by Martin (1994), sheds light on the impact that gender and race have on black female working in law enforcement. According to the article, racial and sexual effects are key drivers that catalyze subordination in the police force. The article performed in-depth interviews among 106 white and black officers to examine the interactive effects of gender and race in police work. One of the findings articulated by the author assert that combination of race and gender spur unique perspectives and problems experienced by black women officers. Racial profiling and gender discrimination hinder black women advancement in the male dominated police occupation. The police division largely contributes to the widespread racism and sexism which divides black female and male officers. Black women officers contend with effects of discrimination which disadvantages them within the police occupation.
As the article elucidates, the adverse effects of gender and race expose black female officers to double jeopardy in the labor market due to their minority statuses. As a result of the deep rooted racism, black female officers experience little protection and fear based on intimidation, physical separation and white hostility. As Martin (1994) notes, “the police organization is gendered in terms of physical and social divisions for example job titles, physical space, symbols and images (e.g. language and dress) which explain and reinforce the divisions and patterns that enact dominance and gendered institutional identities”. The inequality in power distribution and in opportunities consign black females to failure while catapulting their white counterparts towards success. The minority women in police force encounter impediments to occupational achievement including exclusion, undue performance pressure and stereotypic treatment.
Vidal, A. (2014). ‘Intersectional Feminism’. What the hell is it?(And why you should care). The Telegraph , 15 .
The article by Vidal (2014), explores the topic on intersectional feminism and how it impacts females. The reading underscores the fact that minority females in occupations such as the police force experience oppression in varying degrees. Structural feminism and intersectionality contribute to abuse and attacks leveled against minority women. “The interplay of intersectionality holds the center stage in the propagation of various types of injustices such as opportunity inequality faced by minority women” ( Vidal, 2014 ). The black females loose opportunities due to the negative effects of intersectionality. Women undergo sour experiences due to their gender subscription and racial origin. Women of color in different occupations such as in the police face systematic hurdles which affect them negatively. As the article explain, the mainstream feminist cohort should listen to different groups of women to avoid stagnation and propagation of racial maladaptive schemas. Vidal (2014) delineate that the society continues to cling to a mistaken belief that people are entitled to privileges due to the color of their skin. While this is the case to some degree in some professionals such as the law enforcement, the article emphasizes that a person’s gender or racial background should not be a source of privilege. Black women in the police department are viewed as physically weak and thus are restrained from partaking into some assignments.
Crenshew, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. In University of Chicago Legal Forum (Vol. 140, pp. 139-67).
The article by Crenshew (1989) investigates the topic on demarginalizing the racial and sex intersection. As the article stipulates, race and sex discrimination contributes to the subordination of black women in occupations such as law enforcement. African American women deal with combined sex and racial discrimination leading to heightened subordination. Discrimination based on gender deny qualified black women the chance to occupy upper level labor jobs such as senior and supervisory positions in the police department. Statistics indicate existence of significant disparities between white female and black women in the law enforcement field. Racial disparate treatment is a rife occurrence which hinders progression of black women police officers. Crenshew (1989) notes that “black women are marginalized in the interface between antidiscrimination law, race and gender hierarchies”. The women are disadvantaged on the basis of physical ability, age, sex and race. In addition to being overlooked, the women of color are excluded from accessing information and in making of critical decisions. The skewed belief that women should be seen as having limited abilities, and as dependent has largely contributed into alienation of black women in the law enforcement arena.
Conclusion
Black women contend with innumerable difficulties which adversely affect their tenure in the police force. One of the challenge encountered by women of color in the law enforcement filed is discrimination. Sexism and stereotyping also significantly makes it hard for women police to work in a male dominated force. Females face exclusion due to their gender and racial origin. The racial and gender challenges create occupational obstacles which derail their advancement in the police force.
References
Crenshew, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. In University of Chicago Legal Forum (Vol. 140, pp. 139-67).
Dodge, M., & Pogrebin, M. (2001). African ‐ American policewomen: An exploration of professional relationships. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management .
Martin, S. E. (1994). “Outsider within” the station house: The impact of race and gender on Black women police. Social Problems , 41 (3), 383-400.
Thompson, S. M. (2017). Triple Threat: Black, Female, with a Badge. Unpublished master’s thesis). Retrieved from https://www. cji. edu/site/assets/files/1921/triple_threatblack-female-withabadge. pdf .
Vidal, A. (2014). ‘Intersectional Feminism’. What the hell is it?(And why you should care). The Telegraph , 15 . https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10572435/Intersectional-feminism.-What-the-hell-is-it-And-why-you-should-care.html .
