This thesis explores how stress is experienced in the everyday lives and work of female police managers. Current conceptualisations of stress within organisational and practitioner stress literatures are grounded in measuring, isolating and thus managing workplace stressors. Together with the social norms and professional discourses surrounding stress, these perspectives neglect the experiential constitution of stress at the level of the lived body. To address this research gap, the thesis draws on key tenets of Merleau-Ponty's (2002) phenomenological perspective to empirically explore the experience of stress. Data is collected through the use of photo-elicitation and in -depth semi-structured interviews with twenty managerial police women. The medium of the visual image overcomes some of the difficulties in encapsulating strong feelings and emotions common to stress, to allow the emergence of a wider diversity of stress interpretations. Three main findings chapters serve to contribute to debates surrounding the lived experience of stress at work. The first chapter explores stress from the organisational context of the police, focusing on how organisational histories and traditions influence the circulation of ideas as to what it means to 'be' a police officer. The second chapter centres on the embodiment of stress, paying particular attention to how the body is drawn on in discussions of stress. The final findings chapter explores how stress is at once socially situated and individually experienced, looking at the various ways of communicating what stress is and how it may be represented or shared on a collective level. A final discussion chapter then serves to resituate these findings within current academic and practitioner debates, demonstrating how the key conceptual contributions made by the study provide new insights into stress at work.

This thesis examines the cultural dynamics within a specialist policing department with a particular focus on the issue of gender. It explores the experiences of a sample group of police officers working within the firearms unit of one metropolitan police force. Culture, the history of policing, specialist departments and the introduction of women are considered in order to gain an in depth understanding of the organisation. Previous research into police culture suggests masculine values remain intensely dominant, particularly within the firearms arena, ultimately creating an environment, which outwardly appears unattractive to women. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with twenty-one police officers including eleven male and ten female officers from Constable to Inspector rank. The research focused on the pre-joining experiences of the officers involved and also their personal experiences of life on the firearms unit. The study identified that the issues within the firearms unit appear not to be about gender: there was little evidence to suggest that officers within the firearms unit were treated differently or unfairly due to their gender. What was apparent was the presence of in-group/out-group distinctions, with an overwhelming desire from both genders to be accepted and to "fit-in". This has implications with regards to the research concerning occupational cultures, including police culture in particular.

Research has long established the under representation of women police. A historical focus on discrimination and harassment in an overtly masculinised police environment has dominated discussion, with commentators failing to take into account the most feminine of all life experiences – procreation. This research critically assesses the impact of pregnancy and maternity upon the operational policing experience. A gendered theoretical conceptual framework informs a qualitative research strategy comprising in-depth interviews with serving women constables and senior officers. Are female officers’ experiences of deployment, training and career progression negatively affected by pregnancy, maternity and care responsibilities? An acceptance that police organisations are not gender neutral permits a feminist, contextualised approach, which seeks to establish the reality of managing pregnant and newly maternal women in policing. Findings suggest that female officers’ deployment and progression are significantly impacted by pregnancy and maternity. Police career structures remain dictated by dominant masculine values, which reinforce development structures built on the male life cycle. A risk averse culture to managing pregnancy was apparent. Pregnancy, breastfeeding and child-friendly flexible working necessitate multiple individual role moves, especially for uniformed officers. This restricts the use and development of women’s policing skills. A masculinised police culture appears resistant to family-friendly policies, despite evidence that such policies can be managed successfully in practice. Conceptions of operational career success are heavily gendered. The male body, which does not bear the responsibility of reproduction, remains the standard template. It is argued that it is not being a woman but being a mother that restricts the progression of women police. Progression pathways must acknowledge the female life cycle and adapt practices and policies to welcome this important difference if police services are to succeed in increasing female representation across all levels of their organisations.