Patriarchal beliefs and perceptions towards women among Indian police officers: A study of Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore the association between patriarchal beliefs and perceptions regarding gender equity among Indian police officers. Using convenience and systematic random sampling, a cross-sectional survey was conducted with 190 police officers from Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. The survey collected information about patriarchal beliefs, perception regarding gender equity, as well as social demographic characteristics including age, education, gender, work experience, working shifts/hours, place of residence and family system. Multiple linear regressions were used to predict patriarchal beliefs, utilizing the independent variable of perceptions regarding gender equity. Police officials held a high degree of patriarchal belief and inequitable perceptions regarding the gender roles of women. Multiple linear regression analysis, controlling for key sociodemographic variables, demonstrated a statistically significant association between the police officers’ patriarchal beliefs and their perceptions of gender equity. These findings emphasize the need for greater representation of female police officers and gender-inclusive training for all police officers in providing services to women. Gender-sensitive interventions may help facilitate positive change for police officers that hold strong patriarchal perceptions towards women and who may make it more difficult for women to successfully submit gender-based complaints.

Performance Management and the Police Response to Women in India

“…Moreover, police officers in India are sometimes accused of sexually assaulting women, particularly sex workers (Chettiar 2015;Erausquin et al 2011). For these reasons, many scholars suggest that Indian police agencies need to hire more women (e.g., Tripathi 2020). Moreover, some Indian police agencies have established police stations staffed entirely by women.…”

Thai Police Officers’ Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence and Victim Blaming: The Influence of Sexism and Female Gender Roles

“…Since male-dominated professions such as law enforcement tend to espouse strong patriarchal beliefs (Tripathi, 2020), many police officers may exhibit sexist attitudes, originating from the societal myths of gender inequality and patriarchy . Previous studies have indicated that police officers with sexist attitudes view IPV as an ordinary and private matter, and prosecute perpetrators only when victims insist on doing so (Gölge et al, 2016; Lila et al, 2013); this further demonstrates that ambivalent sexism, which can be defined as attitudes toward women, consisting of two factors: “hostile sexism (HS),” which is overtly negative attitudes toward women, and “benevolent sexism (BS)” which views women as an inferior gender that require protection (Glick & Fiske, 1996), is related to attitudes and behavior with respect to IPV (Allen et al, 2009; Anderson & Anderson, 2008; Glick et al, 2002; Renzetti et al, 2018).…”