Gendered attrition patterns in a male-typed work setting: Comparing gender differences in attrition among Dutch police staff to the public sector

Abstract

Research shows that women leave male-dominated work settings more often than their male colleagues. In public services such as policing, disproportionate attrition of women slows improvement of gender equality, but can also affect legitimacy and service outcomes. Typically, attrition of women in policing is studied in isolation, while sources (and thus, solutions) of inequalities may lie in societal or broader organizational dynamics. Using monthly employment register data, this study compared attrition of Dutch female policing staff to those of their male counterparts and their peers in other public subsectors. Findings indicated that, while women were more likely to leave the Dutch policing sector than men, several other subsectors showed similar gender differences. Results suggest that approaches to improve gender equality, both in policing and in other ‘gender-typed’ subsectors, should not be limited to increasing representation and should involve reviewing implicit assumptions about employees, including procedures for appraisal.