The SIA College of Higher Education,

Dombivili
A 2- Day National Seminar on
Challenges and Opportunities For Women
in Dynamic Society
Date :23rd& 24th Jan,2015.
Topic: Women in Police: Employment
Status and Challenges
Presented by :MrsRanjanaMhalgi (Asst.Prof)
The SIA College of Higher
Education ,Dombivili.

Women in Police: Employment Status and Challenges

MrsRanjana.J.Mhalgi,Asst.Prof,,
The SIA College of Higher Education, Dombivili.
e-mail: rjmhalgi@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Employment of women in the police was initially viewed with skepticism and disfavor.
However, changes in social conditions, increasing involvement of women in crime either as
accused or victim, growing juvenile delinquency and domestic violence necessitated
employment of women in greater numbers in the police. Although women have now become an
integral part of the police forces in the world, their numbers remain poor.
In India, according to the latest statistics of the home ministry, women constitute 5.3 % of the
countrys police forces. Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Chandigarh have a relatively better
representation of women in the police.
International research has exploded the myth that women are unsuitable for police jobs. Women
officers use less physical force, are better in defusing violent confrontations with the public
,possess better communication skills and are able to elicit the publics cooperation and trust and
respond more effectively to violence against women. It is estimated that 80 % of policing
involves non-criminal or service functions. In India, many of the para-military forces are now
inducting female personnel. However, the representation of women in the police continues to be
low.
Policewomen confront some typical challenges like Gender Discrimination,Role Ambiguity and
Role Conflicts , Low Acceptance and Poor Comfort Level, Corruption, Different Leadership
Styles, Balancing Career And Family Life etc.Only few women like
MrsKiranBedi,MrsVimlaMehra, MrsMeeraBorgaokar reaches the highest ranks in IPS.
This paper attempts to study the Employment Status of Women Police and Challenges faced by
them .

Key words : Employment status of woman police, Challenges faced within and outside the
profession,
INTRODUCTION
Our Constitution promotes overall human development. Thegoals of human development are
closely associated with the development and empowerment of women, who, according to the
Census 2011, represent 48.46 % of the total population of India.Although, gender equality,
justice andnon-discrimination to all citizens is assured by the Constitution of India, thegender
inequality index of India was 0.617 in 2011.Clearly, India has a longway to go to realize the
dream of gender equality .The socio-economic development of women is very vital for the
sustainedgrowth of a nation. The industrial revolution and the processes of liberalization and
globalization have changed the position of women in India. As a result,women are actively
participating in various economic activities, and simultaneously managing their family and work
life. Their traditional role of home-maker has been transformed into the new role of a
professional woman.
In India, a number of women have successfully broken the glass ceiling and attained top
positions, Even so, women are often viewed as the weaker sex; and it is believed that their
characteristics are not suited to fit the requirements of certain jobs,especially in male-dominated
professions like POLICE.
Policing is considered to be one of the most masculine occupation of the world. It has been
described as one of the most male gendered profession. Policing is a demanding job, which
involves long and uncertain hours of duty. However, over the past few decades, the police
workforce has grown much more diverse with regard to gender and race. In India, while all the
postings and ranks in the police are common to both womenand men,women are still underrepresented in the police force and are not assigned to field missions to the same extent as men.
Although numerous research studies have been conducted relating to different aspects of women
in the police growth and development ofwomen in the police ; their career aspirations,
motivations , gender discrimination,their job expectations and adjustments; their role in police
and administration and how they deal with domestic violence and disputes ,there is hardly any
study which focuses on their employmentstatus and the challenges faced by them in the police.

The main objectives of the study are:

To examine the employment status of women in Police.

To study the challenges faced by women in Police.

Research Methodology
The present research paper is based on secondary data collected from the books, News Paper
Articles,Internet (websites) ,Research Papers , &Magazines etc.

Data Analysis and Interpretations:

Employment Status of Women in Police
According to a study on the status of women, women do more than 67% of the total hours of
work done in the world but they earn only 10%of the worlds income and own only 1 %of the
worlds property.
Though the government claims to be doing a lot for the upliftment and empowerment of women,
data on womens employment revealsthat there is a long way to go.
According to home ministry statistics, out of 15,85,117 personnel working in state police forces,
only 84,479 or just 5.33% are women.Besides, there are just 499 all-women police stations in the
country out of a total 15,000 stations.
The demand for more women in police forces has been growing since the Delhi gang rape
case.There were also 2,28,650 incidents of crimes against women reported in 2011, of which
24,206 were of rape.

Table 1.State wise Women Police %

State
Uttar Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Bihar
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Chandigarh

Total Police

Women

Employees

Police

1,73,341
89,325
67,964
3,010
1,34,696
7308

2,586
2028
1,485
3,010
20,062
987

% Of Women
1.49%
2.27%
2.18%
3.93%
14.89%
13.48%

Tamil Nadu
Delhi

95,745
75,169

10,118
6750

10.57%
7.13%

Union home minister MrSushil Kumar Shinde has ordered that every police station in the Capital
will have to have at least 13 policewomen 3 sub-inspectors and 10 constables.
About 4,500 of the women have desk jobs either at police stations and ancillary departments or
as call attendants at the control room. It is only the remaining 2,000 to 2,500 ladies who are
available for field.
As a result, there are many police stations in Delhi that do not have even a single policewoman.
Sometimes, it becomes difficult for us to make an arrest or assist a female victim due to the
non-availability of a female officer, said a Delhi Police officer in a TV interview.
While many of the policewomen to be appointed in police stations will be drawn from the
existing force, Shinde said a special drive would be launched soon for recruiting female
constables and officers.
According to the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD, 2012:) women personnel
in the actual total state police force was only 4.59 per cent. The ratioof women personnel to men
personnel works out to 1: 21.
Table 2:Employment Trends of Male and Female Personnelin the Indian Police
YEAR
Men
women
Total

1995
12,34,996
16,014
12,51,010

%
98.72
1.28

2000
12,76,075
20,688
1296763

%
98.40
1.60

2005
1299339
43519
1342858

%
96.76
3.24

2010
1507659
72652
1580311

%
95.4
4.59

Source:Crime inIndia Statistics reports issued by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB),
Table 2 shows that the proportion of women in the Indian police has increased from 1.28 % in
1995 to 4.59 % in 2010, which is a very insignificant.
Table 3: Growth of Indian Police Force and Women in Indian Police, 20052010
Year

No. of Police Personnel

No. of Women Police

% of Women

2001

13,08,010

23,889

1.83

2005

13,42,858

43,519

3.24

2008

14,73,595

52,322

3.55

2009

15,57,497

65,456

4.20

2010

15,80,311

72,652

4.59

Source:Crime inIndia Statistics reports issued by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB),
A number of states like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand,Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu
and Punjab have established All-Women Police Stations (AWPS), which are managed and run
exclusively by women police personnel.
Table 4: Women Police Stations in India
Year

No. of Women Police Stations

2005

298

2008

330

2010

397

2011

442

2012

500

Source: Annual reports on Data on PoliceOrganizations in India published by BPRD,

According to BPRD as of 1 January 2012, 500 womenpolice stations in the country were
exclusively run and managed by womenpolice personnel. Table 4 indicates the increase in the
number of women policestations in India during 20052012. It shows that a total of 202 new
womenpolice stations were opened during this period

Major Challenges Faced by Women in the Police Profession

Challenges Within the Police Profession:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)

Gender Discrimination
Sexual Harassment and Organizational In-Civility
Role Ambiguity and Role Conflicts:
Problems of Co-ordination
Prejudices and Biases of Male Police Personnel
Corruption
Inadequate Strength (Tokenism)

Challenges Posed by Womens Personality Traits

1) Difference in Leadership Style
2) Low Acceptance and Poor Comfort Level
3) Lack of Job Satisfaction

.Challenges Outside the Workplace

1) Balancing Career and Family Life
2) Technological Advancement

Conclusion
Women in the police are under-utilized and under-employed. In 2010, the proportion of women
in the organized sector of India was 20.41 %, while the proportion of women in the total police
force was only 4.59 %, Genderdiscrimination is a major reason for this under-utilization.women
have different personality traits and behaviour patterns. If thesedifferences are managed with
proper understanding and care, they are helpfulin creating an excellent work environment within
the police organization.
However, both the lack of sensitivity and over-sensitivity of the governmentand the male police
personnel have made women in the police psychologicallyweak. The government should
formulate and strictly implement policies thatguarantee genuine equality between the male and
female workforce in the policedepartments. Various training programmes, seminars, courses and
workshopsshould be organized by the authorities concerned to change the attitude of themale
police personnel and society at large. Women in the police should alsorecognize theirendurance,
strength and capabilities to handle tough situationsin an effective way.

References

Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD). 2012. Data on Police

Organizations in India, As on January 1, 2011. New Delhi: BPRD, Ministry of Home
Affairs, GoI.
ASCI Journal of Management
Sahgal, P. 2007. Women in Police: A Study of Their Career Aspirations and Motivation.
Indian Journal of Industrial Relations
The Telegraph - Saturday , August 9 , 2014 | Women In The Police Force,SankerSen
www.NCRB.gov.in