| Women represent almost half of the employed United States (U.S.) labor force, yet policing organizations all over the world are recruiting targeting females due to their overall underrepresentation, and shortages in administrative leadership. Although more females are working in law enforcing agencies, a small percentage of these women are certified police officers, and an even smaller percentage of women are police chiefs. The total number of women who have advanced in rank and become police chiefs could at one point be counted on one hand. After numerous sanctions, forced promotions and recruitment tactics, females in executive leadership positions increased in 2017, to just about 250 in the U.S. The women, who have attained the lead executive position, faced barriers that hindered their upward mobility. Compared to the aggregate of licensed police officers, female chiefs are disproportionate; thus, the problem addressed in this research study. The purpose of this phenomenological study using a hermeneutic qualitative research method was to examine the barriers active female chiefs endured while climbing the ranks. The participants were female chiefs working in various departments around the Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex. The lived experiences of the female officers were best explained in their own words. Research data findings were collocated from semi-structured interview surveys. Numerous scholastic works have cited that women are just as efficient at being effective leaders as men but women are opting not to take the promotional exam for the lead position. This study identifies the barriers female chiefs indicated hindered them from applying for the lead commander position. This study enucleates the feminism literature of females employed in a predominated masculine workforce. The findings from the research give a glimpse of the areas of concern police administrators may want to address to eliminate internal and external barriers. |
