Along with the conclusion of a much-loved show, the third season of Happy Valley on the BBC marked the end of Sergeant Catherine Cawood's career as she navigated the criminal underground in Yorkshire. Cawood's age and gender are not disregarded in any way by the show. She is subjected to misogyny at every turn, first from the criminals she confronts while on the job, and then from her own coworkers.
While police departments are currently dealing with the fallout of decades of pervasive sexism, female police officers, whether in fiction or reality, senior or rookie, are routinely subjected to sexist criticism of their appearance and abilities. This is true regardless of whether the criticism is directed at the officer's seniority or her position.
Female Discrimination In Law Enforcement
Online harassment and abuse has grown routine in professions that interact directly with the public. I spoke in-depth with fifty women working in the public sector, ranging from politicians and journalists to police officers and public servants. Every single woman I talked to about their work has received some form of sexist harassment or abuse whenever they discussed their work in public. This affected a large number of people and took place on every social media platform.
The specifics of this abuse changed depending on a person's line of work. Politicians and journalists were the most likely to be physically assaulted of the two groups. On the other hand, police officers were far more likely to be subjected to criticism regarding their age, looks, and overall level of expertise.
Worryingly, the female law enforcement officers with whom I met revealed that a considerable portion of the harassment they faced came from individuals who falsely claimed to be active or former police officers. This is reflective of a larger occupational culture inside the police force, which has historically been antagonistic toward the presence of women.
According to the available data, women in policing encounter a number of obstacles on their path to higher-ranking jobs, with a few notable exceptions. Despite this, there is evidence that things are beginning to change: there are now 19 female chief constables in the UK, up from only four in 2019.
In spite of this, men dominate upper-level positions in the majority of police forces. According to study that was published in 2021, 89 percent of police forces in the United Kingdom have a higher proportion of men working at senior levels (chief inspector and above) than they have among their force generally. This is an increase from the previous year's percentage of 76% of forces.
Even after they have achieved their goals, they are not safe from being mistreated. According to findings from earlier studies, sexual harassment in police departments is typically the outcome of a male-dominated working culture that encourages animosity of women who rise in their careers.
Online Harassment Of Female Police Officers
A significant portion of the vitriol that is directed towards female police officers online is centered on comments about their appearance.
According to the accounts of two top law enforcement officials:
It's more of an obsession than anything else, making continuous comments on how you appear. A swarm of trolls is fixated on my teeth, and I have a lot of them. They focus their attention on my teeth and make comments about them whenever I put something online. It is quite difficult to understand.
People comment on your appearance; the outfit you're now wearing, your hair, and the look in your eyes. We'll all opt to withdraw from social media at some point.
In other instances, officers reported receiving comments that looked to have more sinister purpose than that of simple trolling:
When I consider some of the cases that have received the most media attention, there has been a lot of venom. It's common for people to judge a person's level of skill based on their gender and, to a large extent, their appearance.
The police and crime commissioner received a complaint against me, in which it was asserted that I lacked any standards and was embarrassing the police force with the way that I dressed.
Officers also indicated that their online abusers exploited their age as a mocking factor in their interactions with them.
Abuse directed toward guys is extremely rare. There is no mention of an elderly law enforcement official who is wrinkly and gray in appearance. On the other hand, it appears to be appropriate for women in senior positions to either say something along the lines of "Oh, she's hot stuff," at one end of the scale, or to dish out whatever amount of abuse you want in terms of how someone looks as they get older.
These kinds of insults are not confined to people who post anonymously online. The journalist Amanda Platell criticized the lead detective for wearing a dress and having her hair straightened after a press conference regarding the search for the missing Lancashire woman Nicola Bulley. Platell tweeted, "Is she auditioning for Love Island for midlifers?" Many people, including other top police officers, defended the detective.
On the other hand, comments such as this may be found all too frequently on the internet.
In real life and on television, female police officers commonly have the impression that their knowledge and capabilities are questioned more frequently than those of their male counterparts..
The Prevention Of Misogyny And The Fight Against It
If views, behavior, and language against female police officers are going to change, it is very necessary to address the underlying causes of the misogynistic abuse that is perpetrated online. Having saying that, putting this into practice can be challenging. The person, the group, and society as a whole all need to undergo metamorphosis for there to be any real possibility of change taking place.
It is imperative that law enforcement personnel be given the resources necessary to manage their online personas in a manner that is less vulnerable to cyberattacks. In order to create a buffer zone between the police officer and the abuser, elementary strategies such as blocking, muting, and reporting could be incorporated into the training program. Although these tactics do not address the problem of cultural misogyny, they do make it possible for women to continue taking part in online conversations without having to endure harassment or abuse.
All the women I spoke with at the organizational level underlined the importance of increased regulation of online platforms, which would be delegated to Ofcom in the event that the online safety bill was ever enacted into law. The entirety of the police force needs to be brought to a far higher level of awareness of the scope and risk of online abuse that their officers encounter, and they need to be reminded that their duty of care for their employees extends into the realm of the internet.
The struggle against misogyny in society is a more uphill one. Abuse committed online should be against the law and should not be tolerated socially. An excellent place to start would be for men and women to collaborate on recognizing abusive conduct in one another, confronting it, and reporting it.
These changes are essential for the recruitment and retention of female employees in the police force, as well as for ensuring that the focus in high-profile investigations remains on the facts of the case. If the police are to have any chance of addressing the misogynistic culture that has recently come to light, these changes are essential.
The sexual abuse of civilians by members of the police force is a severe issue that can arise from a range of different circumstances, including the abuse of authority, harassment, and assault. Despite the fact that there is no evidence to suggest that all police officers abuse women, there have been countless cases of policemen abusing their authority to sexually assault members of the general population.
During normal traffic stops, arrests, interrogations, and other circumstances in which authorities have authority over persons, these infractions are possible. It is difficult to ascertain the true scale of the problem since victims of police sexual assault may be reluctant to report the abuse for a variety of reasons, including fear of retaliation, disbelief, and other reasons.
It is essential to keep in mind, however, that not all police officers are abusive to women, and that the vast majority of officers make a concerted effort to follow the law and protect their communities in an honorable and respectful manner. Furthermore, it is of the utmost importance to hold those who commit abuse accountable and to strive toward developing a culture within law enforcement that places a priority on the safety and dignity of all individuals.