ABSTRACT
Women police in Tamil Nadu, India, fall into two distinct cohorts: (1) those recruited prior to 1997 who are deployed in all-women police units, and (2) those recruited in 1997 who, as a result of equal opportunity legislation, have been placed in regular police battalions. Interviews conducted in August 2000 revealed considerable dissatisfaction among officers in both cohorts. Some of the dissatisfaction, common to both cohorts, reflects problems faced by all women police in developing and developed countries. These problems are likely to persist until the position of women in these societies improves and styles of policing become more congruent with present day society. Other sources of dissatisfaction were specific to the conditions of work experienced by each cohort. Immediate attention to these conditions, is required by the police administration. Solutions might build upon some of the more positive experiences described by the women.
