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Abstract
Although women account for over 50% of employed persons in South Korea, women in policing comprise approximately 3.8% of all sworn law enforcement positions throughout the country. Clearly, women are underrepresented in policing in many countries, but the relatively small number in law enforcement careers in Korea provides an opportunity for research about the demographic and attitudinal factors that motivate them to pursue such a career. In this study, we focus on a sample of 220 Korean female police officers. The present study sought to address 3 central research questions: (a) the background of the respondents, (b) the major reasons for career selection expressed by female police officers, and (c) the relationship of years in policing to the reasons for the respondents’ career selection. Results suggested that women are in policing not only because it is an exciting profession but also because they feel that they have the ability to do the job and do it well. These data illustrated the importance of surveying women in order to enhance the recruitment and retention of female law enforcement officers.
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An earlier version of this article was presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, March 2009.