Danger-protection mothering practices: How work and home influence the parenting of women police officers.

Police officers who are mothers ('police mothers') lead lives that are very challenging, both at work and at home. The hegemonic masculinity in policing organizations pressures women to continually try to prove themselves in a 'boys' club' culture. Motherhood is seen as a liability, and women feel stigmatized upon announcing pregnancy, taking maternity leave, and returning to work. Their children are confused by unpredictable shift work, and it complicates child care arrangements. Police mothers are exposed to danger, trauma, and at times, a disgruntled public. At home, they face a 'double day', being responsible for the lion's share of domestic labour. Their investments in intensive mothering ideologies, coupled with the burdens of work and home, leave them feeling guilty about not being the 'perfect parent'. These situations influence 'danger-protection mothering practices' - police mothers take specific precautions, construct stories, and interrogate their children, to prevent them from becoming victims or offenders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]