Patriarchy and the Structure of Employment in Criminal Justice: Differences in the Experiences of Men and Women Working in the Legal Profession, Corrections, and Law Enforcement

Abstract

Feminist scholars have long argued that patriarchy affects the structure and organization of society as well as the lived experiences of men and women. Although often referenced in discussions of gender differences in crime and justice, few have articulated more specifically the link between patriarchy and gender differences in the experiences of men and women as victims, offenders, or workers. We take up the challenge to theorize patriarchy and examine the extent to which it operates as an organizing principle with regard to employment in the criminal justice system. We consider differences in the representation of men and women working in the legal profession, corrections, and law enforcement, as well as the culture and structure of these workplace environments in the United States. We argue that patriarchy is a useful midlevel theoretical concept that helps explain both quantitative and qualitative gender differences in criminal justice work. This study complements the "doing gender" approach by focusing on gender at the institutional level, and describing how the culture and structure of the criminal justice system shape and constrain the experiences of individuals occupying social roles within it.

Examining Mental Health Knowledge, Stigma, and Service Use Intentions Among Public Safety Personnel

“…Despite the lack of statistically significant effects between sex and PSP categories, differences associated with the sex distributions may provide valuable information about public safety mental health. Female PSP may be exposed to more sexualization, disrespect, sexually charged threats, and violence than their male counterparts (Pogrebin and Poole, 1997;Batton and Wright, 2019). Females are also more likely to be aware of their emotional states and more able to report on their symptoms on a self-report questionnaire (Mankus et al, 2016); therefore, having increased mental health knowledge may increase the likelihood that a person can and will report difficulties.…”

“…Females are also more likely to be aware of their emotional states and more able to report on their symptoms on a self-report questionnaire (Mankus et al, 2016); therefore, having increased mental health knowledge may increase the likelihood that a person can and will report difficulties. Pressures may also exist at work for female PSP to act stoically on the job, which may compromise their coping or their overall resilience (Morash et al, 2006;Batton and Wright, 2019). Definitive conclusions underlying sex differences may require a series of qualitative studies to inform subsequent quantitative studies specifically designed to assess how gender influences mental health in and across PSP categories.…”

Women in Leadership: Insights from Female Principals of Rural Secondary Schools in Vhembe District of South Africa

“…Diko (2014) further reveals that research focusing on gender bias against women within the education system of South Africa shows the growing practice of barring women from being endorsed to managerial positions, especially in secondary schools. For Batton and Wright (2019), this status quo needs to be challenged because women are proficient leaders as their male counterparts. Cubillo and Brown (2003) also confirm that the experiences of women who desire and attain managerial posts are controversial and worthy of further inquiry so that a more precise picture can be portrayed.…”

Women and Policing: An Assessment of Factors Related to the Likelihood of Pursuing a Career as a Police Officer

“…The male-dominated nature of policing has historically excluded women from its ranks (Archbold & Schulz, 2012) mainly due to perceptions of policing as physically demanding (Parsons & Jesilow, 2001), dangerous (Garcia, 2003), and a sexist occupation (Batton & Wright, 2018). These perceptions have resulted in the lack of inclusion of women in sworn personnel, whether due to apathy from women or lack of recruitment from agencies.…”