Gender Differences in Perceived Role Expectations,Mental Health,and Job Satisfaction of Civil Police Constables: A Quali-Quantitative Survey

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the gender differences in perceptions of role expectations, mental health dimensions, and job satisfaction of police constables. The study further examined the potential mediating effects of psychological well-being and psychological distress on the nature of the relationship between dimensions of police role expectations and job satisfaction. Police constables (total number = 203: males = 144, females = 59) were surveyed in four districts (Varanasi, Mirzapur, Allahabad, and Lucknow) in the state of Uttar Pradesh of India. Participants’ responses were obtained on questionnaires, which measured demographic characteristics, police role expectations (Maurya, 2017), psychological well-being and psychological distress (Heubeck & Neill, 2000), and job satisfaction (Dantzker’s, 1993). Data were statistically analyzed for examining the patterns of relationships between the variables. Additionally, the constables were also interviewed for eliciting their views on the prevailing job conditions. Findings revealed significant gender differences in the demographic variables, namely, experience and salary, aggressiveness and facilitative dimensions of role expectations, and the levels of psychological well-being among the male and female civil police constables. The authoritative role expectations were positively correlated with psychological distress of male participants only. While all aggressiveness, facilitative, and authoritative dimensions of police role expectations had significantly positive correlations with job satisfaction of male participants, only the facilitative dimension of role expectation was significantly positively correlated with job satisfaction of female participants. Psychological well-being of both male and female participants was positively correlated with job satisfaction. However, psychological distress was negatively correlated with job satisfaction of male participants only. Findings also highlight the mediating effects of psychological well-being on the prediction of job satisfaction by the facilitative dimension of role expectation among female police constables, while psychological distress exercised suppresser effects on the prediction of job satisfaction by the factor ‘aggressiveness’ among male police constables.

Keywords

Police role expectation psychological wellbeing psychological distress job satisfaction police personnel

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