Varför är det få kvinnor på ordinarie chefsbefattningar i yttre tjänst?: En kvalitativ studie om kvinnliga polisers upplevelser av att söka och verka som chef i yttre tjänst

Abstract

Only 14% of the leadership positions in the outside service are held by women, in the inside service however that number is 43% (in the Gothenburg area). Why are there are so few women in leadership positions in the outside service but not on the inside service, in the Swedish police force, and in what way does gender structure affect this dilemma? This study is investigating this question by conducting 15 interviews with women that are currently working in the Swedish police force in the Gothenburg area, to hear their subjective experiences of seeking and working on a leadership position in the outside service. The result is divided in three main categories, The picture of being a woman, The male dominance in the outside service and Family life in relation to working in the outside service. Each main category further includes three to four subcategories, where the result of what was discussed in the interviews is presented, for example, women have poor self-confidence and self-esteem, they prioritize family and there is an old view of which qualities a leader in the outside service needs to possess to be seen as a good leader. The result is then analyzed thru a theoretical gender perspective with focus on Simone de Beauvoir’s theory about The second sex and Yvonne Hirdman’s theory about The gendersystem. These theories are used to get a better understanding of how gender structures affect that there are few women in leadership positions in the outside service. Furthermore, the study concludes that there are several reasons why there are so few women on leadership positions in the outside service and that gender structures plays a big role in it.