NCJ Number
95069
Journal
Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 12 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1984) Pages: 303-309
Date Published
1984
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Female police may experience more stress than male police, but the improvement in status and income associated with entry into male-dominated employment may reduce the resulting stress for policewomen in comparision to other employed women.
Abstract
Study data came from questionnaires distributed to all the police employees in Montgomery County (Maryland). Response rates ranged from 28.6 percent for civilian males to 59.6 percent for sworn females, for a total of 458 responses. Diseases such as high blood pressure occurred more often in males than in females among the sworn officers, while the reverse was true for civilians. Less serious physical symptoms, such as headaches, muscle tension, and chest pain varied both with sex and with employee status. Overall, women reported higher physiological stress than did men. Those in lower status jobs also had higher rates of stress-related symptoms. Employee status, sex, minority status, response bias, and age may all partly explain the survey results. Future research should stratify the sample on the basis of age and more dimensions of employee status, with an equal number of males and females in each group. Data tables and a list of 14 references are supplied.