Introduction

This chapter provides a general overview of the entry of women into the workforce in the United States with discussion on defining the term “gender,” the importance of adopting an intersectional perspective when examining the issues, and the passage of various laws that accelerated their entrance. In addition, this chapter describes the challenges that women working in the United States typically face and will include discussion of gender, race, sexual orientation and the intersectionality of these characteristics as they relate to these challenges. Finally, the role of women entering criminal justice professions and future trends for female employment in the criminal justice field is also highlighted.