ABSTRACT
If women officers in western societies such as the UK and the US are underrepresented and underutilized, the situation is far worse in traditional societies where women often constitute less than 5 percent of the police force, and where they are deployed largely in auxiliary duties. As reported in Chapter 2, most studies on women policing are based on western nations and little is known about women police elsewhere, but according to Falvin and Bennett’s (2001) study of police work in the Caribbean, gender models used in developed countries do not necessarily apply in developing nations. This final chapter provides a theoretical model of the integration of women policing in traditional societies. It is based on Brown’s model discussed in Chapter 1, but it attempts to take fuller account of the social conditions and policing styles that impact integration. The chapter concludes with a discussion of implications for policy and research relating to improving and strengthening women policing, especially in developing countries. The detailed case study of Tamil Nadu reported in Chapters 6—8 provides a benchmark comparison for many other traditional societies. It also helps to identify ways in which a career in policing can be made more attractive to women, and police organizations everywhere can make proper use of women’s unique and valuable role in policing.
