Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Police Officers’ Preferences for Gender-Based Responding to Domestic Violence in China

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Family Violence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examines Chinese police officers’ preferences for different formations of responders to domestic violence. Specifically, it assessed the connections between Chinese officers’ gender and gender-based attitudes and their perceptions of whether female officers, male officers, or mixed-gender officers are more suited for responding to battered women, offenders, and domestic violence overall. Survey data were collected from 1052 officers, including 278 females and 774 males from four provinces in China. Frequency distributions, cross-tabulations, and multivariate regression were used as data analysis methods. Chinese officers, in general, were more likely to believe that female officers are more suited to work with battered women, the male officer is more apt to handle offenders, and a combination of male and female officers are more adapted to deal with “domestic violence overall”. Female officers preferred male officers over themselves in investigating “domestic violence overall.” Officers who have more support for gender equality or more tolerance for domestic violence are more likely to believe that, compared to male officers, female officers are more suitable to work with batter women, and a combination of male and female officers is better to provide service to battered women and to respond to “domestic violence overall.” Policymakers and police administrators should strive to promote the value of a more gender-balanced police force and involve more female officers to work in responding to domestic violence.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • All-China Women’s Federation. (2011). Main data analysis from the third survey on the status of Chinese women. Women’s Study Forum, 6, 5–1 (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Ashlock, J. M. (2019). Gender attitudes of police officers: Selection and socialization mechanisms in the life course. Social Science Research, 79, 71–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belknap, J. (1996). Policewomen, policemen, or both? Recruitment and training implications for responses to woman battering. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 12(3), 215–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, J., Jones, A. S., Dienemann, J., Kub, J., Schollenberger, J., O'campo, P., . . . Wynne, C. (2002). Intimate partner violence and physical health consequences. Archives of Internal Medicine, 162(10), 1157–1163.

  • Carbone-López, K., Kruttschnitt, C., & Macmillan, R. (2006). Patterns of intimate partner violence and their associations with physical health, psychological distress, and substance use. Public Health Reports, 121, 382–392.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chu, D., & Sun, I. (2014). Reactive versus proactive attitudes toward domestic violence: A comparison of Taiwanese male and female police officers. Crime & Delinquency, 60(2), 216–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chu, D., & Tsao, C. (2014). Attitudes toward women in policing: An empirical inquiry into the gender views of police cadets in Taiwan. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management, 37, 324–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chu, D., Cretacci, M., & Jin, C. (2019). Comparison of Chinese male and female police cadets’ perceived occupational self-efficacy. Policing and Society. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10439463.2019.1632845.

  • Farris, E. M., & Holman, M. R. (2015). Public officials and a “private” matter: Attitudes and policies in the county sheriff office regarding violence against women. Social Science Quarterly, 96(4), 1117–1135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Federal Bureau of Investigation (2014). Uniform crime reporting: Crime in the United States, table 74, full-time law enforcement employees. Retrieve May 15, 2020, from: https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2014/crime-in-the-u.s.-2014/tables/table-74.

  • Gillis, J. R., Diamond, S. L., Jebely, P., Orekhovsky, V., Ostovich, E. M., MacIsaac, K., Sagrati, S., & Mandell, D. (2006). Systemic obstacles to battered women's participation in the judicial system: When will the status quo change? Violence Against Women, 12(12), 1150–1168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gölge, Z. B., Sanal, Y., Yavuz, S., & Arslanoglu-Çetin, E. (2016). Attitudes toward wife abuse of police officers and judiciary members in Turkey: Profession, gender, ambivalent sexism and sex roles. Journal of Family Violence, 31, 785–796.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gracia, E., García, F., & Lila, M. (2011). Police attitudes toward policing partner violence against women: Do they correspond to different psychosocial profiles? Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 26(1), 189–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, B., Connolly, E., Wang, X., Mason, M., & Ingham, C. (2020). Chinese police cadets’ attitudes toward domestic violence. Crime and Delinquency. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128719901110.

  • Hollingsworth, J. (2019). Taiwan legalizes same-sex marriage in historic first for Asia. Retrieved May 17, 2020, from https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/17/asia/taiwan-same-sex-marriage-intl/index.html.

  • Hu, R., Xue, J., Lin, K., Sun, I. Y., & Wang, X. (2019). Bidirectional intimate partner violence among Chinese women: Patterns and risk factors. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 088626051988852. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519888523.

  • Hu, R., Xue, J., Lin, K., Sun, I. Y., Wu, Y., & Wang, X. (2020). The patterns and influencing factors of help-seeking decisions among women survivors of intimate partner violence in China. Journal of Family Violence. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-020-00145-5.

  • Jiang, J. (2019). The family as a stronghold of state stability: Two contradictions in China’s anti-domestic violence efforts. International Journal of Law Policy and the Family, 33, 228–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, B., & Gerber, J. (2019). Attitudes toward gender integration in policing: A study of police cadets in China. International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 57, 91–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leung, L. C. (2014). It’s a matter of trust: Policing domestic violence in Hong Kong. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 29(1), 82–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, L., Sun, I. Y., & Button, D. M. (2017). Tolerance for intimate partner violence: A comparative study of Chinese and American college students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 35, 4533–4557. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260517716941.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, Y. (2017). Police negligence on implementing anti-domestic violence law. Journal of People’s Public Security University of China (Social Sciences Edition), 187(3), 70–74 (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, S. (1980). Breaking and entering: Police women on patrol. Berkley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, M. (1997). Policy promise: Community policing and domestic violence victim satisfaction. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 20(3), 519–531.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McMullan, E. C., Carlan, P. E., & Nored, L. S. (2010). Future law enforcement officers and social workers: Perceptions of domestic violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 25(8), 1367–1387.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McPhedran, S., Gover, A., & Mazerolle, P. (2017). A cross-national comparison of police attitudes about domestic violence: A focus on gender. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 40(2), 214–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Natarajan, M. (2008). Women police in a changing society: Back door to equality. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neter, J., Kutner, M., Nachtsheim, C., & Wasserman, W. (1996). Applied linear statistical models (4th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parsons, D., & Jeilow, P. (2001). In the same voice: Women and men in law enforcement. Santa Ana: Seven Locks.

    Google Scholar 

  • Qu, J., Wang, L., & Zhao, J. (2018). Correlates of attitudes toward dating violence among police cadets in China. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 62(16), 4888–4903.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rawski, S. L., & Workman-Stark, A. L. (2018). Masculinity contest cultures in policing organizations and recommendations for training interventions. Journal of Social Issues, 74(3), 607–627.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rong, W. (2001). Police law enforcement and gender studies. Policing Studies, 5, 92–96 (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Rong, W. (2012). Recruitment gender ratio of the university of public security from the gender perspective, Women Watch China online newsletter, 88,4-9. Retrieve May 15, 2020, from: www.womenwatch-China.org (In Chinese).

  • Sherman, L. W., & Berk, R. A. (1984). The specific deterrent effects of arrest for domestic assault. American Sociological Review, 49(2), 261–272.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shircore, M., Douglas, H., & Morwood, V. (2017). Domestic and family violence and police negligence. Sydney Law Review, 39, 539.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stalans, L. J., & Finn, M. A. (2000). Gender differences in officers’ perceptions and decisions about domestic violence cases. Women & Criminal Justice, 11(3), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1300/J012v11n03_01.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephens, B. J., & Sinden, P. G. (2000). Victims' voices: Domestic assault victims' perceptions of police demeanor. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 15(5), 534–547.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, I. Y. (2007). Policing domestic violence: Does officer gender matter? Journal of Criminal Justice, 35(6), 581–595.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, I. Y., & Chu, D. C. (2010). Who is better for handling domestic violence? A comparison between Taiwanese female and male officers. Journal of Criminal Justice, 38(4), 453–459.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, I. Y., Wu, Y., Huang, L., Lin, Y., Li, J. C., & Su, M. (2012). Preferences for police response to domestic violence: A comparison of college students in three Chinese societies. Journal of Family Violence, 27(2), 133–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Symbol of Statistics Canada (2017). Police resources in Canada, 2017. Retrieve May 20, 2020, from: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2018001/article/54912-eng.htm.

  • Tam, S. Y., & Tang, C. S. (2005). Comparing wife abuse perceptions between Chinese police officers and social workers. Journal of Family Violence, 20(1), 29–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, C. S. K., & Lai, B. P. Y. (2008). A review of empirical literature on the prevalence and risk markers of male-on-female intimate partner violence in contemporary China, 1987–2006. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 13(1), 10–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • The Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China (2005). Public security administration punishment law of the People's Republic of China. Retrieve May 15, 2020, from http://www.gov.cn/ziliao/flfg/2005-08/29/content_27130.htm (In Chinese).

  • The Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China (2015). Amendment (IX) to the criminal law of the People's Republic of China. Retrieve May 15, 2020, from http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2015-08/30/content_2922112.htm (In Chinese).

  • The State Council of the People’s Republic of China (2015). The anti-domestic violence law of the People’s Republic of China. Retrieve May 15, 2020, from http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/2015-12/28/content_5029898.htm (In Chinese).

  • The Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China (2014). The newsletter on judicial intervention on domestic violence among People’s Court. Retrieve May 15, 2020, from: http://www.court.gov.cn/xwzx/xwfbh/twzb/201402/t20140227_193008.htm (In Chinese).

  • United Kingdom Home Office (2016). Police workforce, England and Wales. Retrieve May 20, 2020, from https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/544849/hosb0516-police-workforce.pdf.

  • Wang, Y. (2017). Thinking police culture from gender perspective. Journal of People’s Public Security University of China (Social Sciences Edition), 185(1), 67–72 (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, X. (2019). Report on domestic violence among women in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Unpublished report. Funded by NRW media (In Chinese).

  • Wang, X., Wang, X., & Jiao, T. (2015). Survey report on intimate partner violence. Unpublished report. Funded by Civil Advocacy Task Force of Promoting the Legislation of Anti-Domestic Violence Law (In Chinese).

  • Wang, X., Dong, X., Xia, T., & Qiao, D. (2019). Gender, generation and survivors of domestic violence: A life history study based on two generations of abused women. Journal of Shanghai University (Social Sciences Edition), 36(4), 14–27 (In Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, X., Hayes, B. E., & Zhang, H. (2020). Correlates of Chinese police officer decision-making in cases of domestic violence. Crime & Delinquency, 66(11), 1556–1578.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, Y., Lin, K., Li, L., & Wang, X. (2020). Organizational support and Chinese police officers’ attitudes toward intervention into domestic violence. Policing: An International Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-04-2020-0048.

  • Xue, J., & Lin, K. (2020). Chinese University students’ attitudes toward rape myth Acceptance: the role of gender, sexual stereotypes, and adversarial sexual beliefs. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520938507.

  • Xue, J., Fang, G., Huang, H., Cui, N., Rhodes, K. V., & Gelles, R. (2019). Rape myths and the cross-cultural adaptation of the Illinois rape myth acceptance scale in China. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 34(7), 1428–1460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, H. C., & You, M. H. (2017). A critical review on studies of relationship education in the gender equity education of Taiwan: 10 years and beyond. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 37(3), 403–417.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, R., Zhang, H., Jiang, Y., & Yao, X. (2018). The tendency to make arrests in domestic violence: Perceptions from police officers in China. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 62(16), 4923–4941.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Professor Ivan Sun for his valuable comments and feedback on the paper. This article was based on data collected by the project “Policing Domestic Violence in China”. The project was supported by the International Joint Research Project of Faculty of Education(Project No.: ICER202005), Beijing Normal University.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Education Theories, Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, No.19 Xinjiekou Wai Street, Beijing, 100875, China

    Xiying Wang

  2. Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Wayne State University, 656 W. Kirby Street, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA

    Yuning Wu

  3. Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, 100 Seymour Ave, Donovan Hall 2131, Utica, NY, 13502, USA

    Luye Li

  4. Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work &Faculty of Information, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5J 2Y2, Canada

    Jia Xue

Authors
  1. Xiying Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yuning Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Luye Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jia Xue
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xiying Wang.

Ethics declarations

Declarations of Interest

None.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wang, X., Wu, Y., Li, L. et al. Police Officers’ Preferences for Gender-Based Responding to Domestic Violence in China. J Fam Viol 36, 695–707 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-020-00237-2

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-020-00237-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation