Stereotypes of Women Professionals in Criminal Justice
A stereotype mainly refers to an extensively accepted prejudice or discrimination in regard to an individual or group even though it is not precise. Gender stereotypes subjected to women results in unequal and unfair treatment in the professional field (Lonsway, 2006). There are three major stereotypes against women in relation to the criminal justice system which include are physical appearance, personality and occupation stereotypes. To begin with the personality traits stereotypes, for instance, women are mainly anticipated to be emotional and cooperative while on the other hand their male counterparts are expected to demonstrate self-assurance. With respect to the occupation stereotype some individuals mainly made the assumptions that certain roles such as teaching nursing to be associated with women while those related to criminal justice are for the male genders (Lonsway, 2006). In regard to physical appearance, for instance, in the criminal justice, they are perceived as weak and cannot therefore, handle certain roles such as arrest and corrections.
The physical appearance has come to grow based on the assumption that men are stronger and have the ability to control their emotions and control in general (Lonsway, 2006). On the other hand, most individuals assume that the primary role of women is to nurture in general which means that they have a caring nature which makes them weak and deprived of certain characteristics. From history, women have always been treated as inferior and in some communities being denied certain rights and privileges and only allowed to take care of their families and households in general. For decades men have always been associated with masculinity based on their roles in the society. This led to the rise of the occupation stereotype. This assumption expects that women in the professional field should mainly play those roles that are characterized by nurturing such as nursing (Lonsway, 2006). This is some professions that are termed as less complex while those such as policing and engineering are assumed to be for the male characters alone. In regard to the personality trait stereotype, it is assumed that all women are weak and it is the role of men to handle them which hinders them from participating in certain roles due to such prejudice (Feenan, 2008).
Based on the prevalence of these stereotypes women in the criminal justice professionals are bound to face certain challenges such as promotion and acceptance. In that based on these prejudices, women are only open to certain roles such as policing (Feenan, 2008). In regard to the correction sector, there are lesser women than in policing because their personality limits them from being given the opportunities to prove their capabilities. In this context, even though women are mainly committed to ensuring that the system works well most of them are not compensated for their efforts. This means that they are limited to certain financial levels when men enjoy career growth that not only increases their experience but gains. However, these challenges can best be solved by women by doing their best and fighting against the set limit to prove their abilities and the unrealistic nature of this assumption (Feenan, 2008). This can be achieved by working to achieve career growth. In addition, women can combine forces to ensure that such problems are eliminated and thus create more favorable expectations similar to those of men.
References
Lonsway, K. A. (2006). Are we there yet? The progress of women in one large law enforcement agency. Women & Criminal Justice, 18(1/2), 1–48.
Feenan, D. (2008). Women judges: Gendering judging, justifying diversity. Journal of Law and Society, 35, 490–519.
