Samme utdanning - ulik jobb? : spesialiseringspreferanser hos kvinnelige og mannlige politistudenter

Abstract

Equal representation of men and women in all types of police jobs is an official goal of the Norwegian Police. However, there are still marked differences in the gender balance of specialisations. This paper examines specialisation preferences among male and female police academy students at the beginning of their educations. Three explanations of gender-based differences in preferences are explored: ideas related to work-family balance; notions as to what constitutes »real« police work; and opinions on men and women’s ability to perform different tasks. The dataset used covers all first-year police students in Norway in 2010 (N=635). The results show marked gender differences in specialisation preferences: male students are more interested in operative careers, while female students express more interest in crime prevention and investigation. However, none of the suggested explanations is supported in the empirical data, which indicates a need for alternative explanations of early differences in job specialisation preferences.