Comparing the workplace experiences of male and female police officers: examining workplace problems, stress, job satisfaction and consideration of career change Kimberly D. Hassell ‡ , Carol A. Archbold † and Amy J. Stichman § ‡(Corresponding author) University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Department of Criminal Justice, Post Office Box 786, Milwaukee, WI 53201. Email: hassell@uwm.edu †North Dakota State University, Department of Criminal Justice and Political Science, Post Office Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108–6050. Email: carol.archbold@ndsu.edu §North Dakota State University, Department of Criminal Justice and Political Science, Post Office Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108–6050. Email: amy.stichman@ndsu.edu Submitted 14 June 2010; revision submitted 10 October 2010; accepted 26 October 2010 Keywords: police climate, police workplace problems, police stress, police job satisfaction, police mentoring Kimberly D. Hassell is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her research interests include police organisational behaviour, police decision-making, women police and police– citizen interactions. Carol A. Archbold is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at North Dakota State University. Her research interests include police account- ability and liability, gender issues in policing and issues related to racial and ethnic minorities in the criminal justice system. Amy J. Stichman is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at North Dakota State University. Her research interests include correctional administration and issues related to women in the criminal justice system. ABSTRACT This study examines the interrelationships between four workplace problems, namely the need for mentoring programmes, stress, job satis- faction and consideration of making career changes, to determine whether female officers’ workplace experiences differ significantly from male officers. Data were collected from a survey of patrol officers employed in a municipal, Mid- western police department. Surveys were com- pleted by 80 per cent of the sworn patrol officers, producing a sample of 87 officers. The analyses show that police officers who perceive a need for a formal mentoring programme reportedly experi- ence higher levels of workplace stress. The findings also indicate that officers with higher stress levels are less satisfied with their jobs. Further, the analyses indicate that female officers experience their workplaces more similarly to, rather than different from, male officers. To decrease workplace stress and improve job satisfaction in this depart- ment, administrators must address the lack of mentoring — for both male and female officers. INTRODUCTION Police departments are more diverse today than ever before, as police executives acknowledge the benefits of a representative department (National Research Council, 2004; Williams, 2000). Even though International Journal of Police Science & Management Volume 13 Number 1 International Journal of Police Science and Management, Vol. 13 No. 1, 2011, pp. 37–53. DOI: 10.1350/ijps.2011.13.1.217 Page 37