Pol01 – Women’s health and careers in the emergency and uniformed services: a trauma informed approach

Supervisors: Dr Keely Duddin, Dr SJ Lennie and Dr Helen Selby-Fell (Department of Policing, The Open University Business School, Faculty of Business and Law).

Project Description:

The emergency and uniformed services, including police, fire, ambulance, and military roles, are traditionally male-dominated professions. Women in these roles often face unique health challenges and career obstacles that remain under-researched. This project aims to explore the intersection of women’s health and career trajectories within these demanding professions. The study seeks to identify barriers, uncover systemic issues, and recommend strategies to better support women in these sectors.

Research into the experiences of women in emergency and uniformed services has identified several key themes. Women often face heightened physical and emotional demands, including exposure to trauma, long shifts, and physically taxing duties (Gates et al., 2018). Reproductive health concerns, such as pregnancy, menstruation, and menopause, are often poorly accommodated, leading to absenteeism and reduced job satisfaction (Turner et al., 2020).

The police service in England and Wales has been under intense scrutiny since 2020, with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) focusing on police misconduct, gross misconduct, police recruitment, concerns around misogyny, racism and sexism. This culminated in the Casey Review (2023), which highlighted a large disparity between genders with a lot of work needing to be done to achieve true equality for women in policing.

Career progression for women is limited by systemic biases and cultural challenges, such as gender stereotyping and a lack of mentorship opportunities (Smith et al., 2019). Studies have shown that women are underrepresented in leadership roles, with promotion pathways often favouring traditional, male-dominated career trajectories (Williams & Charman, 2021). The mental health toll of balancing family responsibilities with demanding roles also disproportionately affects women, contributing to attrition rates (Charman & Bennett, 2020). For women in policing, the impact of gender disparity becomes particularly apparent when trying to balance home life, shift-work and long hours with their families (Gaston & Alexander, 1997; Bury et al., 2018), and when seeking promotion (Haake 2018; Drew & Saunders, 2020; Alexander & Charman, 2023). With an estimated two-thirds of UK women aged between 50-59 in paid employment, more women are working through and beyond their menopausal years than before (Paul, 2003).

Despite these challenges, research on targeted interventions remains scarce. Research is required to address this gap, by combining qualitative and quantitative methods to provide a comprehensive analysis of women’s health and career experiences in emergency and uniformed services.

Methodology: Candidates are encouraged to take a mixed methods approach and should consider the use of novel methodologies and take an experiential approach, capturing lived experience alongside quantitative health measures. Considering the context of this project, both the subject scope of study and data collection methods should be trauma informed.

Though the supervisors for this project are from the Department for Policing, other uniformed and emergency services are of interest, as well as a combined service project.

References:

Alexander, J., & Charman, S. (2023). Parallel lines? The homogeneous and gendered career patterns of senior leaders in policing in England and Wales. Police Practice and Research, 25(3), 286–307.

Bury, J., Pullerits, M., Edwards, S., & DeMarco, J. (2018). Enhancing Diversity in Policing Final Report. NatCen Social Research: London.

Casey Review (2023). Baroness Casey Review: Final Report into the standards of behaviour and internal culture of the Metropolitan Police Service, Baroness Casey Review. United Kingdom.

Charman, S., & Bennett, T. (2020). Gendered experiences in policing: The influence of gender on police occupational culture.

Drew, J., & Saunders, J. (2020). Navigating the police promotion system: A comparison by gender of moving up the ranks. Police Practice & Research, 21(5), 476–490

Gaston, K., & Alexander, J. (1997). Women in the police: Factors influencing managerial advancement. Women in Management Review, 12(2), 47–55.

Gates, D. M., Gillespie, G. L., & Succop, P. (2018). Violence against women and its impact on health in emergency services.

Haake, U. (2018). Conditions for gender equality in police leadership - making way for senior police women. Police Practice & Research, 19(3), 241–252.

Smith, R., Turner, P., & Williams, A. (2019). Career barriers for women in the emergency services: A review of workplace culture.

Paul, J. (2003). Health and safety and the menopause: working through the change. London: Trades Union Congress,

Turner, J., Lennie, S. J., & Crozier, S. (2020). Reproductive health in uniformed services: Policy implications.

Williams, A., & Charman, S. (2021). Promoting women in leadership: A case study in emergency services.