This article examines the adjustment problems and work strategies of female deputy sheriffs working in four county jails and three local adult detention centers. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 108 women deputies. The findings suggest that in their role as jail officers, women experience integration difficulties predominantly imposed on them by their male coworkers; these difficulties include gender stereotyping, role conflict, and differential performance expectations. This article explores the impact of and response to these work problems.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Baunach, P. J.
, & Rafter, N. H. (1982). Sex-role operations: Strategies for women working in the criminal justice system. In N. H. Rafter & E. A. Stanko (Eds.), Judge, lawyer, victim, thief: Women, gender roles, and criminal justice (pp. 341-358). Boston: Northeastern University Press.
2.
Belknap, J.
(1991). Women in conflict: An analysis of women correctional officers. Women & Criminal Justice, 2, 89-115.
3.
Chapman, J. R.
, Minor, E. K., Rieker, P., Mills, T. L., & Bottum, M. (1983). Women employed in corrections. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice.
4.
Crouch, B.
(1985). Pandora's box: Women guards in men's prisons. Journal of Criminal Justice, 13, 535-548.
5.
Farnworth, L.
(1992). Women doing a man's job: Female prison officers working in a male prison. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 25, 278-296.
6.
Fine, G. A.
(1983). Sociological approaches to the study of humor. In P. E. McGhee & J. H. Goldstein (Eds.), Handbook of humor research—Vol. 1 (pp. 159-181). New York: Springer-Verlag.
7.
Flynn, E. E.
(1982). Women as criminal justice professionals: A challenge to tradition. In N. H. Rafter & E. A. Stanko (Eds.), Judge, lawyer, victim, thief: Women, gender roles, and criminal justice (pp. 308-339). Boston: Northeastern University Press.
8.
Glaser, B. G.
, & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Chicago: Aldine.
9.
Gutek, B.
, & Morasch, B. (1982). Sex ratios, sex role spillover, and sexual harassment of women at work. Journal of Social Issues, 38, 55-74.
10.
Jurik, N. C.
(1985). An officer and a lady: Organizational barriers to women working as correctional officers in men's prisons. Social Problems, 32, 375-388.
11.
Jurik, N. C.
(1988). Striking a balance: Female correctional officers, gender role stereotypes, and male prisoners. Sociological Inquiry, 58, 291-304.
12.
Kerle, K. E.
(1985). The American woman county jail officer. In I. L. Moyer (Ed.), The changing roles of women in the criminal justice system (pp. 301-317). Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland.
13.
Kissel, P. J.
, & Katsampes, P. L. (1980). The impact of women corrections officers on the functioning of institutions housing male inmates. Journal of Offender Counseling, Services, and Rehabilitation, 4, 213-231.
14.
Lourich, N.
, & Stohr, M. (1993). Gender and jail work: Correctional policy implications of perceptual diversity in the work force. Policy Studies Review, 12, 66-84.
15.
Maguire, K.
, & Pastore, A. L. (1994). Sourcebook of criminal justice statistics 1993. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics.
16.
Martin, S. E.
(1992). The changing status of women officers: Gender and power in police work. In I. L. Moyer (Ed.), The changing roles of women in the criminal justice system (pp. 281-305). Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland.
17.
Morton, J. B.
(1991). Change, challenge, and choices: Women's role in modern corrections. Laurel, MD: American Correctional Association.
18.
Petersen, C. B.
(1982). Doing time with the boys: An analysis of women correctional officers in all-male facilities. In B. R. Price & N. Sokoloff (Eds.), The criminal justice system and women: Women offenders, victims, and workers (pp. 437-460). New York: Clark Boardman.
19.
Pogrebin, M. R.
, & Poole, E. D. (1988). Humor in the briefing room: A study of the strategic uses of humor among police. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 17, 183-210.
20.
Pollock, J. M.
(1986). Sex and supervision: Guarding male and female inmates. New York: Greenwood.
21.
Poole, E. D.
, & Pogrebin, M. R. (1988). Factors affecting the decision to remain in policing: A study of women officers. Journal of Police Science and Administration, 16, 49-55.
22.
Schatzman, L.
, & Strauss, A. L. (1973). Field research: Strategies for a natural sociology. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
23.
Simon, R. J.
, & Simon, J. D. (1993). Female guards in male prisons. In R. Muraskin & T. Alleman (Eds.), It's a crime: Women and justice (pp. 276-300). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Regents/Prentice Hall.
24.
Van Voorhis, P.
, Cullen, F. T., Link, B. G., & Wolfe, N. T. (1991). The impact of race and gender on correctional officers' orientation to the integrated environment. Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency, 28, 472-500.
25.
Wexler, J. G.
, & Logan, D. D. (1983). Sources of stress among women peace officers. Journal of Police Science and Administration, 11, 46-53.
26.
Wexler, J. G.
, & Quinn, V. (1985). Considerations in the training and development of women sergeants. Journal of Police Science and Administration, 13, 98-105.
27.
Worden, A.
(1993). The attitudes of women and men in policing: Testing conventional and contemporary wisdom. Criminology, 31, 203-237.
28.
Zimmer, L. E.
(1986). Women guarding men. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
29.
Zimmer, L. E.
(1987). How women reshape the prison guard role. Gender and Society, 1, 415-431.
30.
Zimmer, L. E.
(1989). Solving women's employment problems in corrections: Shifting the burden to administrators. Women & Criminal Justice, 1, 55-80.
31.
Zupan, L. L.
(1986). Gender-related differences in correctional officers' perceptions and attitudes. Journal of Criminal Justice, 14, 349-361.
32.
Zupan, L. L.
(1990). The employment of women in local jails. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Denver, Colorado.
