Norwegian Researcher Warns Against Female Dominance Within Police: 'Mustn't Go Too Far'
© AFP 2023 / ODD ANDERSEN
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The lack of physical strength in female police officers is by far the most common argument presented by critics of the influx of women into the police force, challenging the male dominance that's lasted hundreds of years.
The share of women in the Norwegian police force is rising to the point of "domination", as national broadcaster NRK put it. In this year's student cohort, 6 out of 10 police students are women. At the Oslo Police Academy, wholly 7 out of 10 students are women.
According to Police Academy researcher and associate professor Nina Jon, measures must be considered to prevent the proportion of women in police education from increasing further.
"It is just as problematic if there are too few men, as it is if there are too few women", Nina Jon, a researcher in masculinity, police culture, and gender equality in the police, told national broadcaster NRK.
Since 2019, women have been in the majority in police education. Nina Jon argued that the development so far is gratifying, but argued it is important to take measures in order "not to end up with the opposite problem".
"In gender equality work, a 60/40 distribution is seen as gender balance, so it is perfectly fine, but it must not go too far", Jon explained. "Gender equality and diversity are important, and breadth is good, but it is also important that it doesn't go the opposite way. Female dominance is unacceptable too".
"In gender equality work, a 60/40 distribution is seen as gender balance, so it is perfectly fine, but it must not go too far", Jon explained. "Gender equality and diversity are important, and breadth is good, but it is also important that it doesn't go the opposite way. Female dominance is unacceptable too".
According to Jon, a distribution above 60/40 is skewed. "Then there is no longer a balance", she claimed.
The apparent lack of physical strength in female cops is by far the most common argument presented by critics of the recent trend. Per Jon, it is also one of the reasons hampering the recruitment of women to the force.
"There are many policewomen who have a preconception that they are physically weaker than men", Jon said. "Yet while they are not the strongest, they are not the weakest either", she said, calling for more women in operative assignments.
3 November 2021, 05:34 GMT
According to Torgeir Lindstad, section leader in the Oslo Police District, law enforcement works best when "both women and men, young and old, with different backgrounds and skin colour" are involved.
"Sometimes we do meet a physically superior man during an arrest. It may be that women are inferior in that situation, but men may be as well", Lindstad mused. "Both policewomen and pomen have good preconditions for solving police tactical assignments. Some assignments are solved best by small men, other assignments by large men. Other times it is an advantage to be a woman. It's the diversity that is good. A good mix of both sexes is the best", he concluded.
Police Academy Principal Nina Skarpenes called the development "joyful" and emphasised that men have been in the majority "for hundreds of years".
In 2016, Norway became the first European and first NATO country to introduce conscription for women, bunking them in mixed dorms with men. This is done in an attempt to "feminise" the military and introduce more gender balance.
