The Constitution of India provides for equal rights and opportunities to its citizen. India is considered a male-dominated society and women have always been marginalized by society. But now the thinking of society towards uplifting the status of women is changing. Women are handling different kinds of responsibilities in every sector be it social, political, or economic. There are numerous fields in which the representation of women is not equal as compared to men. In between the increasing trends in crime against women, the status or position of women in the police force is very low in comparison to the men.
The research data on the position of women in the police force of India shows that the actual strength of police officers stood at 7.1%. The status of women is still low in many fields and it needs to be increased by implementing various reforms that will help to uplift their status. This issue is very important and it needs to be addressed at the earliest. The present study seeks to examine the position of women in the police which is a dire need for gender mainstreaming where it will talk about the present status of women in the police force and the other aspects related to it.
Position of Women Police
Women are terribly underrepresented in various fields in India regardless of whether in legislative issues, senior corporate administration, or even the bureaucracy. A report dispatched by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) focuses light on the appallingly low number of women in the police force in India. The report while discussing the gender imbalance in the police power in India additionally focuses on the primary causes, strategy lacunae, and attitudinal issues inside the society overall and the police force, specifically, that is liable for the slanted gender ratios proportions in the policy positions.
Factors affecting women’s representation in the Police Force
There are various factors that affect the representation of women in the police force. The rigid societal norms work as a hurdle on their way. Some of the factors that affect women’s representation in the police force are given as follows:
- Enlistment or Recruitment Process: The Gender disadvantage, the report notes, begins from the enrollment interaction itself. Police enlistment happens at the Central (IPS for Assistant Superintendent of police onwards) and State Levels (for the posts of Constable, Sub-Inspector/Assistant Sub-Inspector, and Deputy Superintendent of Police). At the Constable position, it is through direct enlistment though, for different positions, it is through a blend of direct enrollment and advancement. Many state police forces keep on having separate frameworks for people at state-level section focuses, which implies that not very many openings for a specific position are held for women, which influences their professional development upwards, as more senior number of rank and advancement records are allocated to male officers. A normal unit for enrollment is a pressing policy change that is being recommended by those working for more gender-equivalent police reforms.
- Male perspectives inside Policing: The way of life inside the police administrations is intrinsically male-centric prompting negative generalizing of women cops and settled in gender inclination. This forces women to endeavor to scatter those thoughts. A new report led in Tamil Nadu authenticated this thought that women are seen contrarily by male cops and a more extensive idea that police work is performed more proficiently by men.
- Work environment Harassment: The Negative mentalities and societal norms are seriously compounded by the prevailing society of sexual harassment in the work environment, however, an enormous piece of it goes under revealed for the absence of protest instruments or inadequate information on the women faculty. In center gathering interviews directed by CHRI, 7.5% of respondents in Kerala and Haryana, discussed inappropriate behavior or the sexual assault they confronted.
- Insufficient Facilities: One of the gravest restricting elements and a gross common human rights violation in the absence of even fundamental or basic facilities like washrooms for women in the police headquarters. This issue is surprisingly more terrible for Women Traffic Police. More terrible is the separation of essential offices for the IPS and state unit officials. The new police central command working in Rajasthan has women washrooms just for the utilization of IPS unit officials. Under the Modernization of State Police Force Scheme, the Government of India gave rules in February 2013, requesting that state legislatures accommodate washrooms, crèches, and restrooms for female police staff.
- Working Hours: Working hours are additionally non-helpful for women cops. A new report presented by the BPRD uncovers that “90 % of police headquarters staff, across states and across police headquarters types, presently works for over eight hours every day”. Women were frequently observed to be working over 12 hours every day and regularly in postings outside the places where they grew up which made their double jobs inside the home and work undeniably challenging. This was especially intense in posts that took care of women assistance work areas and furthermore the entirety of women’s police headquarters.
The benefit to Society of increasing numbers of Women Police
The advantages of expanding women’s numbers and impact in policing go a long way past further developing police reactions to violence against women, however that improvement alone would more than legitimize the reason. Each ever-evolving objective for further developing police administrations, regardless of whether that be finishing police brutality, promoting community policing, lessening local area grievances or complaints, or reducing claims, is well proven to be upgraded by expanding women’s representation in policing.
Female officials have ended up being just about as capable as their male partners. The research from departments in nine urban areas of the nation over shows that women officials were similarly just about as qualified as their male partners for patrol work.
Female officials are less inclined to utilize excessive power. In a review directed by the Los Angeles Police Department, women were essentially less inclined to be associated with utilizing either lethal or exorbitant power, bringing about fewer suits and more positive exposure for their specializations. Likewise noted was the way that actual strength has not been displayed to anticipate either broad police adequacy or the capacity to deal with hazardous circumstances effectively. Female officials can assist with executing local area community-oriented policing.
Communication, critical thinking, and participation with community individuals—signs of local area style policing—are regions in which women officials get preferable assessments over their male officers. Using or employing more female officials will further develop the law implementation reaction to violence against ladies. Relationship violence calls are the single biggest classification of calls made to police the nation over. Since the vast majority of the victims are women and the greater part of the batterer’s men, it is essential to have female police officers in the force to be effective and more active in answering these calls.
Female officials frequently can de-escalate possibly rough or forceful circumstances through their presence and utilization of interpersonal abilities, lessening the need to turn to physical showdown or confrontation. Expanding the presence of female officials diminishes issues of sexual assault and discrimination inside an office. Inappropriate behavior is more common in male-overwhelmed working environments. Employing and holding more women lessens the numeric underrepresentation of female officials and, therefore, improves the hierarchical environment.
The presence of women can achieve advantageous changes in strategy for all officials. The executives have a motivation to look at choice and prepare principles, proportions of police execution, family-accommodating approaches that help the two guardians at the hour of a birth or a reception, uniform and hardware plan, and oversight, everything being equal. A gender-assorted working environment makes a superior work environment for all sworn faculty or personnel.
Conclusion
It can be inferred that the position of women in the police force is really dismal and needs to be corrected in every aspect. The representation of females in the police force in India is very low as compared to men. As stated above around 7% of women are working presently in this sector which is not even half of the male police officers. There are various factors that affect the less representation of women in this field. The fact cannot be denied that the police force is generally dominated by male officers and females are less in number.
There are various barriers that stop or work as a hurdle for women to get started with their career apart from the home activities due to the different social norms and stereotypes in their path. The Indian Constitution provides for equal rights and opportunities irrespective of gender, caste, sex, race, etc. Women should get equal representation in the police force. The factors that restrict them to be part of this field should be made more effective so that there remains no barrier that could restrict them or stop them to make their way forward towards their career. The police reforms should be more effective which could increase the representation of women in the police force.