Are you man enough? A Case study of the represented and experienced masculinity in the South African Police Service.

The South African Police Service (SAPS), like other policing institutions, is often associated with exaggerated and narrowly hegemonic ‘masculinity’ in which aggressiveness, dominance, fortitude, emotional composure, resilience and an emphasis on physicality are pervasive ideals. Police officers are often perceived to embody these ideals, but few researchers have focused on how this masculinity is experienced by police officers. Semi-structured interviews andin situobservations were conducted at a large police station in the Western Cape. Thematic analysis concentrated on how ‘ideal masculinity’ is both portrayed and embodied by police officers. This type of masculinity was found to be a core value in the SAPS and, in some instances, negatively impacts the organisation's functioning. These ideals excluded women from field duties, provided a context in which, in some cases, inappropriate sexual approaches were implicitly permissible, and were a platform for police officers’ dissatisfaction with their duties. While traditionally ‘masculine’ values are important, a culture assuming that these values are ideal and exclusive to men (and exceptional women) was problematic. Further, an overly masculine culture undermined traditionally feminine-associated values; regardless of their value and position in official policy. The research emphasises the importance of a more androgynous and heterogeneous gender culture in the police service. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]