Female Police Officers' Job-Related Attitudes: A Comparative Study of Taiwan and the United States

Although there has been a growing interest recently in the role of women in policing, very few empirical studies have examined female officers' job-related attitudes from a cross-cultural perspective. Using interview and survey data collected from two Taiwanese and two American police departments, this research assesses Taiwanese and American female officers' attitudes toward co-workers, promotion, and citizens. The findings show that Taiwanese female officers are more likely than their American counterparts to have friends in work units but less willing to share information with co-workers. Taiwanese women police are also found to be more likely than American women police to consider promotion an important issue in their career. Taiwanese officers are more critical of citizens than American officers. Limitations of this study and implications for future research are discussed. (C) 2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.