Police Officer Gender and Attitudes toward Intimate Partner Violence: How Policy Can Eliminate Stereotypes

Abstract

This article reviews the existing literature on differences in police response to IPV (intimate partner violence) based on officer gender and suggests policy changes that could address common issues identified in the research. Authors reviewed research on the effect of police officer gender on arrest rates of abusers, the criteria officers consider when making the arrest decision, and whether officers and IPV victims have a gender preference for the officers sent to IPV calls. Due to a lack of existing research, it is unclear if officer gender has a significant effect on arrest rates in IPV cases. However, gender is related to officers' beliefs, stereotypes and reactions to IPV. There is evidence that a masculine police culture affects men officers' belief in negative stereotypes regarding women officers. These gender differences are rooted in widely held beliefs in traditional gender roles and in the masculine police culture that contends that IPV is not a serious crime. Based on a review of scholarly studies and existing policies, we propose interventions to improve both the police response to IPV and the elimination of the masculine police culture, including, but not limited to expansion of (and adherence to) mandatory arrest, sensitivity training to the effects of police response on IPV victims, and improved techniques of recruiting men officers. This is the first policy-oriented article to thoroughly examine research on whether officer gender affects police response to IPV.

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