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Essay Subject: Examines theories (social learning, gender role, symbolic interaction & stress) to explain why more men than women work as corrections officers.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Examines theories (social learning, gender role, symbolic interaction & stress) to explain why more men than women work as corrections officers. Paper Introduction: WOMEN IN CORRECTIONS Introduction This research examines the issue of women in the occupation of corrections officer. The objective of this research is to offer theoretical explanations for the disparity in numbers between female and male position holders in this occupation. The labor participation rate in the United States is 61.5 percent (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1995, pp. 55-91). For males, the participation rate is 72 percent, while for females, the participation rate is 51.8 percent. Women comprise 43.0 percent of the total American workforce; however, women represent only 15.3 percent of American corrections officers. Currently, a little more than 27,000 of the nation's 180,000 corrections officers and 1,200 adult-prison wardens are women The number of co Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. (4th ed.).New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Social learning theory and developmentalpsychology. 439). These actions are just a few ofliterally dozens of stress-outcomes that may result from the effects ofoccupational stressors. (1994, Spring).Gender differences in occupational stress among correctional officers.American Journal of Criminal Justice, 18(2), 219-234. 22). Context-related stressors are external to the tasks associated with ajob (Gross, Larson, Urban, and Zupan, 1994, pp. P. Occupational socialization and cynicism towardprison administration. Ulmer, J. 55-91). (1987). Social science Journal, 29(4), 423-443. This development,according to social interactionists, allows a person to move from apersonal perception of "I" (the spontaneous self) to a personal perceptionof "Me" (the social self), through a role taking behavior wherein theperson assumes the role of the generalized other. MonthlyLabor Review, 118(9), 55-91. Guards are generally expected to have a high-schooldiploma or graduate-equivalency degree (GED) and a driver's license. Buunk, B. B. These factors may rangefrom overt discriminatory policies on the part of the organization toingrained attitudes within an organization that lead to bias in selectionand recruitment to societal phenomena which cause fewer women to receivethe necessary education and training to prepare them for correctionsresponsibilities. percent of the total Americanworkforce; however, women represent only 15.3 percent of Americancorrections officers. New York:Macmillan Publishing Company, pp. Job-related stress affects the level of perceived job satisfaction. Developmental Psychology, 28(5), 776-786. Conclusion Ingrained social conditioning likely accounts for the continuingdisparity in numbers between female and male holders of corrections officerpositions. (1992). The field requires strong leadership and administrative skills aswell as a sense of fairness and compassion. Gender-Based Theories Gender equality emerged as a salient political and legal issue in theUnited States in the 196 s (Gutek & Larwood, 1989, pp. The subordination of women providesboth the philosophical basis for a justification by a patriarchal societyand a basis for economic practices that facilitate the development andmaintenance of societal inequities between females and males within asociety (Barry, 1989, p. 1 -11). The interpretiveprocess relies on the use of symbols. WOMEN IN CORRECTIONS Introduction This research examines the issue of women in the occupation ofcorrections officer. Currently, a little more than 27, of the nation's18 , corrections officers and 1,2 adult-prison wardens are women The number of corrections officers, whose work with prisoners is bothcustodial and rehabilitative in character, is expected to grow 7 percentby 2 5. Context-relatedstressors typically develop as a result flawed organizational structures,ineffective organizational development, the inability of an individual topursue successfully achievement goals within an organization, or somecombination of all three. The origins of social learning theory lies in attempts to combinepsychoanalytic and stimulus-response theory into a comprehensiveexplanation of human behavior (Grusec, 1992, pp. 461-471)found that such perceptions about the other party in an interpersonalconflict situation strongly influences the decision of the party makingsuch a perception to either confront or avoid the conflict. Thesestressors involve role ambiguity, conflicting task demands, work overloador work under load, inadequate resource support, no provision formeaningful participation in decision-making, and insecurity, among others.Stress-outcomes associated with occupational stressors (both task andcontext) tend to vary widely. The objective of this research is to offertheoretical explanations for the disparity in numbers between female andmale position holders in this occupation. Female sexual slavery. (1989). 435). T. R., Larson, S. (1987). Lifespan development. 15-29) found that society often scripts women forpassive roles and men for dominant roles in interpersonal conflictsituations through a process described by gender role theory. (199 , December). S. Heller, C. Workers also may get sick or may terminatetheir relationship with the organization. Alternatively, employees may react more actively by creatinginterpersonal and intraorganizational conflicts involving escalating levelof communication problems. Women's and men's scripts forinterpersonal conflict. Peterson and Peterson (199 , pp. Buunk (199 ,821-823) found that even when individuals involved in interpersonalconflict situations are not controlled by societal scripting that the oneparty in the conflict situation often assumes that such societal scriptingis present in the other party. Thesesubjective interpretations are derived from the definition of the situationfrom the perspective of an individual who is a part of the situation. (3rd ed.). Miller (1991, pp. Roles are "shared normsapplied by occupants of social positions" (p. S., & Helms, D. 423-443) suggested that the disparity in numbersbetween female and male corrections officers may be explained throughanalysis within the context of symbolic interaction theory. 9). Stressors associated with the organizational environment arereferred to as context-related. Varioustheories of human development often tend to view people as either active orpassive in interactions with their environments (Cohen, 1987, p. Genderequality, or the reverse side of the coin, gender-based discrimination, asan issue, emanates from the social subordination of women. Related career paths are teachers, counselors, andhealth-care providers. A societal belief that corrections is "man's work" continues toprevail. In Heller, C. 437). L. S.Structured social inequality. General introduction. Miller, J. Theymaintain security, act as peacekeepers and transport inmates to workdetails. (1987). (1992). Stressors in organizational environments have beeninvestigated within the context of occupational, or on-the-job, stress.Two primary sources of occupational stress have been identified. Workers may simply resort to daydreaming orfantasizing. Structured social inequality. Dahrendorf, R. Psychological Theories Ulmer (1992, pp. 415-423. 417). 57). In Heller, C. New York: New YorkUniversity Press. Barry, K. New York:Tavistock Publications. (1995). 435). Theinteractionist paradigm views "social life as a process of interactionsamong individuals" (Babbie, 1992, p. Active concepts of human development, by contrast withpassive concepts, hold that individuals are not passive beings, but,rather, are capable of actively governing their own development The under representation of women in the occupation of correctionsofficer may be caused by a variety of factors. Women comprise 43. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Task-related stressors, as indicated above, aredirectly related to the specific characteristics of the job itself. Current labor statistics. B. New York: Macmillan PublishingCompany, pp. (1991, February). E. 219-234). S. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 151, 461-471. The specific characteristicsof a job are the source of what are called task-related stressors. 8). Conflict resolution styles attributedto self and partner in premarital relationships. The practice of social research. Journal of SocialPsychology, 13 , 821-823. Grusec, J. The socialsubordination of women in society has occurred through the processdescribed by social learning theory. 433). The labor participation rate in the United States is 61.5 percent(Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1995, pp. Absenteeism and substance abuse are two additionalhigh profile and easily identifiable outcomes of occupational stressors.Reductions in effectiveness, productivity, and satisfaction are less easilyidentifiable outcomes of the effects of occupational stressors; however,such outcomes are among the most debilitating for both the organization andfor the individual. J., Urban, G. Thesecond source of occupational stressors is the organizational environmentitself. Turner, J. Apassive concept of human development emphasizes the critical significanceof one's environment to the overall development of the individual (Turner &Helms, 1991, p. D., & Zupan, L. 56). C., & Peterson, J. Meanings are "modified through an interpretive process used by theperson with things he or she encounters" (p. 44 ). (1991). (2nd ed.). The firstsource of these stressors is the job itself. Through this behavioralprocess, the person derives meanings from the nonverbal actions and verbalstatements of significant others within the organizational structure.Meaning, thus, "arises in the process of interaction between people" (p.433). Identityrefers to "self-meanings in a role" (p. (2nd ed.). References Babbie, E. Education requirements are abachelor's degree in criminal justice, psychology or sociology, andmanagement training and an advanced degree in criminal justice are helpfulfor top positions. In relation toorganizational studies, social interactionists conceive an organization asa social group, and that within the organization as a social group,individuals develop both their own self-concept and individual identitythrough social interactions within the organizational structure. Corrections officers are charged with the custody and well-beingof prisoners at the federal, state, local and juvenile levels. 3).Proponents of conflict theory contend that structural-functional theoryeither neglects the empirical fact that conflicts of value and interest orinherent in all forms of human society or treats such conflicts in only asecondary context (Dahrendorf, 1987, p. The conflict paradigmdescribes social life as a struggle among competing individuals and groups(Babbie, 1992, p. Gross, G. Symbolic interactionismemphasizes connections between shared meanings, or symbols, and actions andcommunications, or interactions (Ulmer, 1993, p. Gross, Larson, Urban, and Zupan (1994, pp. (6th ed.).Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company. 219-234) suggested that thedisparity in numbers between female and male holders of corrections officerpositions may be explained through an application of stress theory. In the organizational environment, stress has beenimplicated in the deterioration of performance efficiency by both managersand subordinates. Stress haslong been associated with the onset of significant physical and mentalhealth problems. (1992). Fight or flight:Factors influencing children's and adults' decisions to avoid or confrontconflict. Itis, according to social interactionists, through social interaction that"individuals apply broad shared symbols and actively create the specialmeanings of self, others, and situations" (p. 776-786). Conflict theory is a sociological proposition offered as analternative to structural-functional theory (Heller, 1987, p. Peterson, C. Cohen, G. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 151, 15-29. 1-6. For males, theparticipation rate is 72 percent, while for females, the participation rateis 51.8 percent. Symbolic interactionists hold that human action cannot be understoodapart from the subjective interpretations assigned to situations by theindividuals involved in those situations (Ulmer, 1992, p. (199 , December). Oncehired, they receive an average of from five-to-nine weeks of in-housetraining. Social structure, group interests, and conflictgroups. Social change and the life course. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.