Organizational and Cultural Dimensions of Ethical Attitudes: Exploring Gender Differences in the Australian Context

• In Event: Exploring Police Integrity

Abstract

This paper reviews the results of published ethical scenario surveys of police officers in Australia to identify historical trends and issues and compare these to recent international research findings. It then presents analysis of primary data on Australian officers’ ethical attitudes across eleven scenarios. Interestingly, this recent Australian data highlights current gender differences across key integrity constructs are less pronounced than expected. However, there are differences in the ways male and female officers view themselves in relation to the (perceived) normative culture, and differences in how these cultural perceptions impact their own attitudes towards the seriousness of the infractions. The results are discussed in terms of organizational and social influences on attitude formation and the context of women in police in Australia.

Authors

• Tim Prenzler, Griffith University

• Louise Porter, Griffith University