Gendered attrition in policing? Studying attrition among Dutch police staff in context of the public sector

• In Event: POLWG Panel 23: Women in Policing

Abstract

Despite efforts to improve representation of women in policing, international research shows that women leave police forces more often than their male colleagues. This is problematic, considering the rising staffing concerns in policing and that higher representation of women may be beneficial for policing outcomes and police legitimacy. Gender inequalities (such as higher attrition of women) in policing are currently often attributed to the gendered nature of policing. Studying gender differences in attrition in in the Dutch police force, a policing setting with higher female representation and a history of targeted (gender) diversity policies, could inform these current explanations of gender inequality in policing. Using monthly employment register data, this study compares attrition patterns of new Dutch female police staff between 2013-2023 to those of their male counterparts. Additionally, this data allows us to compare these attrition patterns across other public subsectors. This comparison indicates whether possible gender differences are unique to policing, or whether these rather reflect broader societal and organizational influences. In that case, approaches to resolve this inequality could be shared across public subsectors, and society-level approaches may be needed, rather than approaches unique to policing. At the conference, we present our results regarding attrition patterns in policing, as well as how it compares to other public subsectors.

Authors

• Gemma Geuke, Utrecht University, Department of Sociology

• Amy Nivette, Utrecht University

• Isabelle van der Vegt, Utrecht University

• Eva Jaspers, Utrecht University