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Police Force or Police Service? Gender and Emotional Labor

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  • Susan Ehrlich Martin

    (American University)

Abstract

Police work involves substantial emotional labor by officers, who must control their own emotional displays and those of citizens, who often are encountered at their worst—injured, upset, or angry. Although policing often is viewed as masculine work that focuses on fighting crime, it also requires that officers maintain order and provide diverse services, which officers tend to disdain as feminine activities. This article explores the varieties of emotional labor, the rules regulating emotional displays in policing, and the role of gender in shaping these occupational and organizational norms. It identifies variations in the norms regulating emotional labor across policing assignments, interactional situations, and the gender of both the officers and the citizens in an encounter. It also reviews coping mechanisms for regulating emotions—including socialization, organizational rituals, humor, and off-duty social activities—and the dilemmas that norms related to emotional labor pose for women officers.

Suggested Citation

  • Susan Ehrlich Martin, 1999. "Police Force or Police Service? Gender and Emotional Labor," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 561(1), pages 111-126, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:anname:v:561:y:1999:i:1:p:111-126
    DOI: 10.1177/000271629956100108
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    Cited by:

    1. Dormann, Christian & Brod, Sarah & Engler, Sarah, 2017. "Demographic Change and Job Satisfaction in Service Industries - The Role of Age and Gender on the Effects of Customer-Related Social Stressors on Affective Well-Being," SMR - Journal of Service Management Research, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 1(1), pages 57-70.
    2. Andréanne Angehrn & Amber J. Fletcher & R. Nicholas Carleton, 2021. "“Suck It Up, Buttercup”: Understanding and Overcoming Gender Disparities in Policing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-16, July.

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