Gender Integration in Australian Policing: The Evolution of Management Responsibility

Abstract

This paper traces the development of women's formal integration into policing in Australia with an emphasis on the role of legislation in affecting change. Grudging compliance with the requirements of anti-discrimination has occurred in the last two decades with a limited application of the more demanding requirements of legislation oriented towards affirmative action. This paper sets up a model for effective management of equal employment opportunity (EEO) responsibilities and tests the level of current application of the model with reference to EEO reports and other data on the status of women. Despite significant progress, specific problems remain and the percentage of sworn female officers will increase only very slowly and will not reach parity with men unless more dynamic efforts are made to improve participation. The main areas of concern are physical ability entry tests, low application rates, lack of union support, managerial indifference and inadequate diagnostic review. Two key strategies for improvement derived from this analysis are targeted promotion in recruitment and the application of a systematic ‘problem oriented’ approach to EEO management.