Resistance to work against sexual harassment within the police
Implementing change initiatives in organisations is particularly challenging when these threaten established norms and status hierarchies. This paper examines expressions of resistance when sexual harassment is addressed in the Swedish police, and analyses how such resistance can be understood in th...
| VerfasserInnen: | ; |
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| Medienart: | Elektronisch Aufsatz |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| Veröffentlicht: |
2026
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| In: |
Policing and society
Jahr: 2026, Band: 36, Heft: 1, Seiten: 20-39 |
| Online-Zugang: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Verfügbarkeit prüfen: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Zusammenfassung: | Implementing change initiatives in organisations is particularly challenging when these threaten established norms and status hierarchies. This paper examines expressions of resistance when sexual harassment is addressed in the Swedish police, and analyses how such resistance can be understood in this context. The data consists of field studies and 65 interviews within the Police Authority and Police Academies in Sweden. The results show that sexual harassment is attributed to a few individual ‘rotten apples’ or framed as a ‘generational issue’, and thus not seen as a collective and organisational concern. The resistance strategies seek to protect an appreciated sexualised banter in the organisation, and criticise the tone, allocated resources, and attribution of responsibility in initiatives against sexual harassment, in particular an explicit gendering of the issue. The resistance moreover contributes to individualise and externalise sexual harassment and avoid accountability. The article discusses the implications of resistance practices for the organisation’s efforts to prevent sexual harassment and suggest that resistance must be acknowledged and addressed when implementing change initiatives. This is particularly important when change is perceived as challenging positive aspects of work culture and involves accountability for misconduct. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-2728 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/10439463.2025.2524536 |
