Thesis: The role of the media in changing the negative perceptions of police work is essential. Though there are harder sides to police work, through the media people can be taught about the importance of women’s role in policing, which would benefit women as well as the rest of society

Various types of media have been used to enlighten those without a source of information for quite some time now. These include newspapers, radio, television, and of course the most pervasive Internet. All these may be used in order to gain attention in whatever issue is at hand. Over the last fifty years or so, media has been ameliorated extensively, and people in every part of the world remain informed of events in other parts. This is how an issue such as gender inequality may be propagated.

In earlier part of the 20th century, when the media was not as it is today, newspapers and radio were the greatest and most reliable source of information in the world to bring people’s attention to issues. This was soon overshadowed by the invention of the television that encompassed the capability of the radio, and coupled this with presenting images as well. Since then, there was even greater armory on the side of issues that needed to be propagated (Huston, 1992, 22-30).

Indeed issues such as gender issues have been in need of propagation for many years, and though there has been considerable attention paid to issues such as these over the years, the media and its enhancements can further be used in order to bring more awareness. This is because of the fact that there are still areas that need to be covered such women’s careers.

The combination of sound, images and words was one that enthralled whoever saw it, is now greatly on the side of those who need to announce issues such as women’s careers in relation to the positives, negatives, and the roles as well In view of this, it must be asserted that women’s roles in particular institutions need to have greater coverage, and this is the reason why there are now organized groups that take on this task (Huston, 1992, 22-30).

One such group is a department of the ‘Feminist Majority Foundation’, called the ‘National Center for Women & Policing’ (NCWP). This division is dedicated to promoting more and more women at various ranks of law enforcement. This is in fact an approach to ameliorate police response to violence against women. It also aims at reducing police brutality and excessive force, in order to improve community policing reforms (National Center for Women & Policing, 2004).

The media used for this is not simply television of newspapers, but the use of the Internet today is also essential. In view of this, organizations such as the NCWP turn to this means as well.

In view of this, it must be asserted that the internet has been another vital medium through which the rate of information exchange has surged. Through this medium one does not even need to own a television set, a radio or any other visual or audio entertainment device. This is because of the fact that it has all sorts of abilities, which greatly enhance the speed of information exchange. However, there are also some severe disadvantages that society has been faced along with the advantages of present-day media (National Center for Women & Policing, 2004).

Propagation of gender issues such as the goals of divisions such as the NCWP, is something that can make a great deal of headway in bringing attention to the issue. It is important to do so as well in light of the manner in which gender issues have been on many important agendas.

Transforming the way that people think is the first step in drawing more women into the police force. It must be asserted here that there are several people who have negative opinions about police work. However, this perception is what has to be corrected through using the media. More women would be easily drawn in if there were corrected perceptions in public (Estremadoyro, 1993, 78).

In view of this, it must be said that women are largely believed to be unsuited for police work. This is because they are still seen as the weaker se, and the law enforcement agencies are places for them. There are also perceptions of women having to cope with the harshness of criminals and also other police officers. This all may be true, but it does not mean that women have to allow this institution to get of their control (Lonsway, et al., 2003).

If more women are in the police force there is every chance of bring things more under control, and this would help women to be more confident in society knowing that the law represents them as well. Also, where women are criminals they could be dealt with by women instead of men having to deal with them duty to the shortage of women in the force. Hence, these are the main views that have to be instilled in the minds of the people, so that they can see why it is important to have more women in the police force
It must be noted that since primitive times, man has created barriers between the two sexes; gender was something well known to man ages ago, and on the basis of this, men generally dominated women. Many women had suffered significantly due to this barrier, and as a result, a struggle had been ignited in which women wished to achieve equal power and no longer be suppressed by men.

The struggle is today observed in the way that groups such as the NCWP struggle to make their points known to the public. They believe in helping women through having more women in the police force. This of course is something that they can only achieve through propagating the issue and calling more women to help out. It is a struggle such as this that can be viewed as the cause of the changing gender roles that have emerged today. Thankfully, women are able to get themselves jobs in places such as the police force. There are no cultural restrictions on women now, and so, through advertisement of responsible divisions it is hopeful that more women will join the force (Lonsway, et al., 2003). However, this was not the case some time ago.

Fifty years ago as well, conditions were not what women would have wanted although they had significantly improved. In the 1950s, women did work outside their homes and several of them were supporting agents to their families as well. However, since then, things have drastically changed, women’s rights watches women strive moiré and more for freedom and equality in their professional lives.

Amelioration of economic conditions in a culture may cause the expectations of people to change. This factor has also played significant role in the amelioration of women’s careers over the years. So, today one can see the effects of the changing economic roles and relationships tat have caused women to come the distance they have. In addition to being able to apply themselves to top level managerial positions, they are now able to able to join law enforcement divisions. The situation is bright for women in this respect because of the fact that it is law enforcers themselves who are inviting more women to join them.

With diminishing cultural constraints on women more than 50 years ago, more women were in fact able to attain an education and get themselves jobs. However, most of them would not have wanted to join the police. Changes in women’s careers since those days have been demonstrated during the latter part of the 1900s. The changes were certainly bound to face opposition by conservative thinkers. However, it is amazing that women have managed to come this far in spite of many hurdles.

American society certainly has changed in the last 50 years, and a great deal of this is due to the media. Various careers that women have been interested in since the 1950s, have certainly expanded, and this has resulted in greater competition between both genders, as well as among women themselves. In fact, because of the fewer places that are available to women today at the highest ranks, it must be asserted that they now struggle for them (Schulz, 2004, 15-20)). Certainly, the police force is one place where competition at the top is as hard as other institutions. The fact that men are also competitors for the same posts makes the battle even more exciting. This is because of the fact that women are now in the open, and they are ready to take on the roles of men. Several jobs that men used to do and were thought to be only posts that men could handle are now being taken by women (Lonsway, et al., 2003).

From the beginning of this Post Modern period, one can see that women have become far more prominent than they were in their professional lives and other fields as well. The civil rights movement that demanded a non-segregated society, in which whites and non-whites could co-exist, also heralded this period.
Considering Post-Modernization, it must also be remembered that technological influence has helped encompass a greater number of women to be assimilated into the workforce. This means that there are more women that can take up any job she deems suitable. Also, in Post-modern times, it has become increasingly easier for women to enhance their education as well, in fact they may even keep their studies going while working, so that they can keep on bettering their prospects.

In contrast to the way that women were kept at home, today so many of them are working in top organizations. It also must be remembered that there are also several changes observed in these women’s lives.

One particular feature to note is that there are several working women who put off engagements until they are satisfied wit their careers. In view of women striving for the best positions such as Chief of police, they might even have children late or not have them at all.

It is worth asserting here that the existence of inequality that prevails even today is based on the actions of individuals, especially those who are responsible for the functioning of the organization. However, here too women still face opposition from men. Few men somehow cannot digest the fact that women are equally capable, and this is exemplified by organizational practices that pressurize women (Lonsway, et al., 2003).

In view of the pressures that women have in society and the way that people may discourage them from joining the police force, the following is interesting to note in order to make people understand what policing is about and how women’s role is essential for better policing (Schulz, 2004, 15-20). These figures and facts are also essential to let people in general know how under-represented women are in this institution:

1. In 2001 women comprised only 12.7% of all new individuals in law enforcement positions in major divisions. They made up 8.1% in smaller agencies, and succeeded in reaching a percentage of 14.4 in federal agencies.

2. Though women may have edged up (approximately half a percentage point per year) in large police agencies between 1972 and 1999, there is certainly ample proof that this is stunted significantly, thereby reinforcing the need to make use of the media.

3. It must be also noted that in 2000 and 2001, representation of women in large police agencies had in fact declined since the previous year before it declined from 14.3% in 1999 to 13.0% in 2000, and further declined to 12.7% in 2001 (Lonsway, et al., 2003).

Clearly, the above statistics indicate the need for more women in the police force. However, the fact remains that there is also need to develop a positive perception in the public regarding women working in the police force and the impact they have on the society. Finally, it must be asserted that it is the media that can help transform the above statistics that would benefit women as well as the rest of society.

References:

Estremadoyro, J. (1993). [Partner Violence: Women's Police Stations in Peru]. Cuadernos de Trabajo. Lima, Peru, Ediciones Flora Tristan, 78 p.
Huston, A.C. (1992). Donnerstein, E., Fairchild, H. et al. Big World, Small Screen: The Role of Television in American Society. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. Pp 22-30.
Lonsway, K., Moore, M., & Harrington, P. (2003). Hiring & Retaining More Women: The Advantages to Law Enforcement Agencies. National Center for Women & Policing, a division of the Feminist Majority Foundation. National Center for Women & Policing, a Division of the Feminist Majority Foundation.
National Center for Women & Policing, A Division of the Feminist Majority Foundation (2004).
Schulz, D. M. (2004). Breaking the Brass Ceiling: Women Police Chiefs and Their Paths to the Top. Praeger Publishers 200