Women police leaders in Europe: a tale of prejudice and patronage

This paper provides rich and unique insights into the experiences of women police leaders across seven European regions. Drawing on interview data it presents accounts of women’s experiences of pursuing advancement in policing and identifies informal and formal barriers to female advancement in European police organisations. Women police leaders report high levels of gender discrimination, obstruction and prejudice over the course of their careers. It argues that there are a number of subjective and informal criteria of ‘acceptability’ that shape women’s experiences of promotion and that informal patronage is a strong basis from which strategic appointments are made within European police systems. The paper makes sense of the ways in which informal aspects of career progression function alongside formal promotion criteria to preserve men as the ‘ideal’ candidates for police leadership positions, resulting in a preference for other men and the exclusion of women. The relevance of these findings is key to informing the future selection and development of police leaders in an increasingly complex police landscape.