Haley Altman
Gender Inequalities Assignment
TA: Rebecca (W. @ 1:30pm)
8 April 2015
Report - Occupation: 33-3021 Detectives and Criminal Investigators
1. After I graduate, I plan to go into criminal investigation. Of course I do have to start as a police officer, but this is my ultimate goal. I have wanted to go into law enforcement since I was a little girl, but I second guessed myself and my abilities. It wasn’t until my first year at Iowa that I decided to finally pursue my dream. Another big reason why I want to do this is because of recent events involving police brutality. I want people to know that there are officers out there with the right intentions in mind. That not all cops are like Darren Wilson or George Zimmerman.

2. The level of sex segregation in this field is fairly significant. While there are about 91,210 males in this occupation, there are only about 22,186 females. That is about 25% of the amount of males. The pay gap is significant as well. Compared to the males’ average earnings of about $55,000 per year, women earn an average of about $45,000 per year.

3. In lecture, we discussed time commitment and how men are more likely to be overworked (Glanville, Week 10). I feel that this concept is applicable in this instance. Being a criminal investigator is not only a full-time commitment, but it is also an on-call commitment. Not only this, but this job is not just five days a week—it’s every day. You have to be available at any moment that someone may need you. Another possible explanation that I thought of on my own was the lack of representation of female cops or investigators. Subconsciously, we know that female officers exist, but when we think “officer”, generally we do not think of a female in the uniform. Both of these could explain part of the reason why the sex segregation exists. Because women are more likely to take time off of work to take care of relatives or family (Glanville, Week 10), they are in turn less likely to be overworked and may not have the ability to be ready on-call for this job. Also, because we generally are not consciously aware that there are female officers out there, society generates this ‘image’ of what a cop does (and should) look like. And it is very possible that in turn, women could shy away from this occupation because of this mental image.
4. As discussed in lecture, women are now getting degrees at even higher rates than men (Glanville, Week 10). However, you do not necessarily need a degree to become an officer. In most places, the highest education requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent. After a few years or so, if you are successful in your time as an officer, you most likely will have the opportunity to be promoted as criminal investigator. In this position, there is a significantly higher salary too.
As I mentioned, women are now seeking degrees