The Armed Forces and the Police: Barriers to Gender Equity/Integration - The Last Bastion?

Abstract

The Armed Forces and the Police are heavily male workplaces worldwide, although each is increasing its female representation in New Zealand and most western countries. Their historic roles and previous exclusion of women give rise to strongly male cultures and greater difficulties than most workplaces in combining work and family and reaching top positions. This paper discusses these barriers to gender equity and integration and the extent to which they are reducing, using mainly the author's recent interview/focus group study of the NZCIB and also referring to Clare Burton's study of the New Zealand Defence Forces. It briefly considers the prospects/or change and the dilemmas for feminists working for gender equity in these sectors.