Policewomen as a profession

The belief that there is no place for women in the police force has been common for years. Women have been considered as the weaker sex and some people believe that their characteristics do not exactly match with the condition of a brave police officer. Today, the Slovenian police force has employed 613 women police officers. The present research would attempt to examine the issue as to whether women would be accepted in their workplace. Would they be granted equal opportunities to perform their duty and job as compared with their male colleagues? Part of this article deals with a historical review concerning the presence of women police officers in the police force, the process of their education, their challenges and ways to cope with issues relevant to gender by these women. The second part offers the results of a research based on interviews with policewomen. By means of analysis of their responses we would try to determine whether they are satisfied with their workplace. The survey has been mainly focused on women’s relations with their male colleagues and seniors. We were enthusiastic to discover in this article whether the viewpoint has changed toward a women in uniform and if yes to what extent. The research also seeks to define the reasons that encourage women to join the police force and to assess the support given to them by people at the time of recruitment. The conclusion showed that the stance of women in the police force is not much considerable as some try to portray. Conversely, police officers are satisfied with their job and occupational and professional relations. Nevertheless, we should not overlook their status and think that there is no hope for their promotion and that the present situation is ideal. There are rooms for change and improvements and the biggest potential to make changes rest with police managers.