Women Police’s Employment Motivation and Career Aspirations in Dubai and Taipei

Doris C. ChuDepartment of Criminology

National Chung Cheng University168 University Rd.

Ming Hsiung, Chia Yi Phone: 886-5-2720411 ext. 36325

Email: doriscfchu@gmail.com

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Abstract

During the past several decades, research on female officers has proliferated. Nevertheless, virtually no studies examine policewomen’s motivations to join law enforcement and their career aspirations in different metropolitan cities in the global context. Analyzing data gathered from 372 female officers (278 from Dubai and 94 from Taipei), this study explores female officers’ motivations to join police forces in Dubai and Taipei. It also compares female officers’ job- related satisfaction (relationships with colleagues and career aspirations) in Dubai and Taipei. While helping others was the top one reason for Dubai officers to join law enforcement, the majority (more than three quarters) of the female officers in Taipei chose to become police officers because of job security. The findings indicated that female officers in Dubai significantly differed from their colleagues in Taipei in several attitudinal dimensions: they showed a higher level of confidence in their work, and they also displayed a higher level of satisfaction with their coworkers and careers. With regard to satisfaction with supervisors and work, there was no significant difference between female officers in both cities. Policy implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Keywords: female officers; Dubai police; women police in Dubai; female officers in Taiwan; motivation to join law enforcement; job satisfaction; career advancement; Taiwan police; gender role; the United Arab Emirates

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Introduction

Previous research has shown that women, generally speaking, have lower career

aspirations than those of men (Leung et al., 1994). And yet, evidence also indicates that, over the

past several decades, the dimensions of women’s career goals have expanded (Gerstein,

Lichtman, & Barokas, 1988; Phillips & Imhoff, 1997). More and more women are choosing

careers in fields, such as policing, military, or engineering that were previously dominated by

males. As the levels of a state’s economic development and modernization increase, its people

focus less on their physical and economic security and begin to embrace equality and justice,

particularly gender equality, throughout their society (Steel & Kabashima, 2008). To comply

with their own newly devised gender equality policies, governments of various countries around

the world are now facing challenges and pressure to recruit more women into law enforcement.

In the past three decades, a considerable literature that examines different aspects of the work of

female police officers has emerged. Such studies include the status of women in policing (e.g.,

Martin, 1980; 1990; Burlingame & Baro, 2005), relationships with peers (Rabe-Hemp, 2008),

attitudes and behaviors (e.g., Worden, 1993; Kakar, 2002; DeJong, 2004; Chu & Sun, 2006;

Novak, Brown, & Frank, 2011), gender integration (Brown, 1997; Haarr, 1997; Strobl, 2008;

Strobl& Sung, 2009; Natarajan, 2008; Chu, 2013), gender equality in policing (e.g., Prenzler,

Fleming, & King, 2010), the motivations that underlie women’schoice of a policing career (Lord

& Friday, 2003; Raganella &, White, 2004; Seklecki & Paynich, 2007; White, Cooper, Saunders,

& Raganella, 2010), gender-related problems in policing (e.g., de Guzman & Frank, 2004),

burnout and stress (Greene & del Carmen, 2002; He, Zhao, & Archbold, 2002; Backteman-

Erlanson, Padyab, & Brulin, 2013), sex harassment in the workplace (Somvadee & Morash,

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2008), career aspirations (Archbold, Hassell, & Stichman, 2010), and women’s roles in policing

(e.g., Garcia, 2003; Martin, 2006; Rabe-Hemp, 2009; Chan, Doran, & Marel, 2010). It is

noticeable that most of these studies have been conducted in one or the other of such western

countries as the USA, the UK, Canada, or Australia. Only a few studies on female police officers

have been conducted in the non-western countries (e.g.,de Guzman & Frank, 2004; Strobl, 2008;

Kim & Merlo, 2010; Chu, 2013), or by following a cross-national comparative perspective (e.g.,

Natarajan, 1994; Chu & Sun, 2006). Strobl and Sung (2009) contend that looking at the non-

western world through the lens of western assumptions may not capture the essence of

policewomen’s perceptions in different cultural and social settings.

Studies comparing women police’s career aspirations and their motivation to join law

enforcement between metropolitan cities in the global context do not seem to exist. In light of the

increased recruitment of women in non-western countries-e.g., in India, Hong Kong, South

Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, it is important to expand our

understanding of the perceptions of women police in a cross-national context. Such an effort

provides lens through which we can better understand women police’s views on their career

aspirations in different cultural settings. This sort of research can expand the existing knowledge

base on females in policing and inform generalization that come from related theoretical

perspectives. As the need for gender equality continues to grow, law enforcement administrators

are increasingly concerned with how to attract more women into a traditionally male-dominated

profession. Thus, it is important to understand what determinants affect policewomen job

satisfaction, for these can enhance women’s retention rates in police work.

To fill in the gaps mentioned above, this study aimed to compare female police officers’

views on their career aspirations between Dubai and Taipei. Dubai and Taipei were chosen as the

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research sites of the present comparative study. Several reasons support the adoption of this

choice. First, both Dubaiand Taipei are well-known internationalized cities that feature

transportation systems that connect conveniently to all parts of the globe, and also accelerated

urban development and infrastructure. As of October 2013, two of the world’s three highest

buildings-Burj Khalifa Tower (Dubai) and 101 (Taipei)-are located in these two metropolitan

cities. Second, both Dubai and Taipei are popular tourist destinations (Pacione, 2005), and local

residents are exposed to diverse cultures and western influences. Third, although the religious

cultures of the Emirati and Taiwanese people differ markedly, women in both UAE and Taiwan

still embrace, to a varying degree, traditional role orientation.

This sort of comparative study is important since it extends our understanding of the

dynamics of how women police perceive career aspirations in very different regions, themselves

characterized by intense modernization and social change. Understanding the reasons underlying

females’ choice of working in policing and their career aspirations in such different cultural

settings can lead to better recruitment strategies and policy implications, and also aid the

retaining of more women in policing.

This paper begins with an overview of the historical developments of women police in

the UAE and Taiwan and continues with a presentation of literature on an examination of women

police’s motivations to enter law enforcement and job-related satisfaction. The methodology

section, which follows, explains four dimensions of attitudes measured in the bivariate and

multivariate regression analyses. Finally, findings of statistical analysis are discussed.

Women in Policing in Dubai

Beliefs in gender roles in the Middle East have been traditional and deeply rooted in

Islamic culture (Schvaneveldt, Kerpelman, & Schvaneveldt, 2005). Women in Islamic societies

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are encouraged to value traditional gender role attitudes (Schvaneveldt et al., 2005). However,

with the recent and rapid economic developments and modernizationin the UAE, the government

has made strides in minimizing gender gaps. Although still falling behind western countries,

UAE has been in the leading position among Arab countries on its gender equality performance,

according to the Global Gender Gap Index, a report by the World Economic Forum (Kapur,

2011). Emirati women, despite the heavy influence of traditional beliefs regarding gender, are

now encouraged to pursue higher education and to advance their careers in the public or private

domains. The first group of 17 women joined the Dubai Police in 1977. After receiving 4

months intensive training, the 17 women joined the police force in Dubai and became the first

batch of women police in the Dubai history. Nowadays, more than 1,400 female police officers

work at the Dubai General Police Headquarters with different ranks (See Chu & Abudulla, 2014

for a comprehensive review).

Policewomen in Taiwan

The first group of women joined the Taiwan police force in 1948. As in most of the

countries in the globe, when women first joined the police force in Taiwan, their duties were

restricted to administrative or specialized work, such as clerical work or handling women or

juvenile cases (Chu & Sun, 2014; Chu, 2013). Until 1977, women had been recruited into the

police force on a regular basis. As time progresses, women police’s duties have been expanded

to a wider range, such as traffic management, forensic analysis or order maintenance during

important festivals (see Chu, 2013 for a comprehensive review on policewomen in Taiwan).

Following the enactment of the Gender Equality in Employment Act (GEEA) in 2001, women

has been provided more opportunities to enter various professions that were primarily dominated

by males in the past, such as military, fire fighting, or policing. For the past couple of years, the

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police administrations have been under pressure to recruit more women into the police force to

minimize the gender gap. In compliance with the laws regulated equality in employment, the

nation began a campaign to recruit more female police officers and to offer them a wider array of

assignments (Gingerich & Chu, 2013). The percentage

Literature Review

Motivations for Entering Law Enforcement and Career Aspirations

As with other career choices, a number of reasons may underlie why males and females

choose policing as a career path. The most frequently cited reasons for this career decision are

the desire to help others and the nature of the police work (Cumming, Cumming, & Edell, 1965;

Raganella & White, 2004). Charles (1982) found job security and helping others are the most

common reasons indicated by the sampled female officers who choose to enter law enforcement

in the United States. Likewise, Ermer (1978) found that salary and helping others are most cited

reasons for female officers to enter the law enforcement field. The findings from a recent survey

conducted with 131 recruits and recent graduates (117 males and 14 females) from a north-

eastern police academy in the United States revealed that opportunities to help others and job

security are the top two reasons for the career choice (Foley, Guarneri, & Kelly, 2008). In a

recent national survey with female officers in the US, Seklecki and Paynich (2007) found that a

majority of the sampled officers listed “the desire to help others” as their primary reason for

entering law enforcement (Seklecki & Paynich, 2007). Most of the empirical studies that

examine people’s motivations for choosing police career have been conducted in the US. In

recent years, a few of similar studies have been conducted in Asia. In their survey exploring

Taiwanese police university students’ motivation for career selection, Tarng, Hsieh, and Deng

(2001) discovered different motivations between male and female students. Male students listed

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“good salary and fringe benefit” as the most important reason for their career selection, while

female students identified the“influence of parents” as the crucial factor in their decision (Tarng,

Hsieh, & Deng, 2001, p 53). Examining a sample of 220 female officers in Korea, Kim and

Merlo (2010) found that “adventure and excitement” and “positive image of the job” are the top

cited reasons underlying the female officers’ decision to enter law enforcement (p, 9 & 10).

Self-Efficacy and Job Related Satisfaction

Job satisfaction has been found to be associated with enhanced productivity and

commitment, lower rates of absence and turnover, and greater organizational effectiveness

(Abdulla, Djebarni, & Mellahi, 2011). Previous studies have examined how police officers’ race,

gender and organization variables affect their satisfaction with their work. Some studies have

found that female officers were less likely to be satisfied with their work in comparison with

their male colleagues (e.g., Buzawa, Astin, & Bannon, 1994). Yet, the variations in the level of

satisfaction between male and female officers were trivial. Some studies did not find a notable

difference in officers’ job satisfaction by gender or race (e.g., Zhao et al., 1999). Findings

regarding the relationship between officers’ educational level and job satisfaction have been

mixed. Some studies saw a positive correlation between officers’ educational level and job

satisfaction, while other studies discovered a negative association (e.g., Lefkowitz, 1974) or no

correlations between the two variables (e.g., Buzawa et al., 1994). Length of work experience

was found to be a more consistent predictor of officers’ job satisfaction among the demographic

variables. Studies have found that officers’ tenure at work was negatively correlated with job

satisfaction (Buzawa et al., 1994; Johnson, 2012). In other words, the longer the officer worked

in the police force, the less satisfied he/she felt with work.

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Although research has not explored whether police officers’ self-efficacy beliefs predict

job satisfaction, studies on education have noted that teachers’ perceived self-efficacy correlates

with greater job satisfaction (Klassen & Chiu, 2010). Self-efficacy refers to an individual’s

perception of his/her capability to carry out a particular task successfully (Bandura, 1997;

Klassen & Chiu, 2010). Empirical studies indicated that self-efficacy beliefs were related to

adaptability to new technology (Hill, Smith, & Mann, 1987), coping with job related problems

(Stumpf, brief, & Hartman, 1987) and adaptation to institutional settings (Saks, 1995, Stajkovic

& Luthans, 1998). Studies in education found that teachers with self-efficacy beliefs were more

likely to be satisfied with the profession of their choosing as well as with supervisors’

performance appraisals (Trentham, Silvern, & Brogdon, 1985; Caprara, Barbaranelli, Steca, &

Malone, 2006). Studies have also found that self-efficacy belief is an important determinant of

work commitment and overall job satisfaction (Caprara, Barbaranelli, Borgogni, Petitta, &

Rubinacci, 2003). Teachers with a sense of self-efficacy were more inclined to hold positive

attitudes toward their colleagues and appreciate their work environments (Caprara et al. 2006).

Theoretical Framework and Research Hypotheses

As delineated in the above literature review, there are different reasons underlying why

people choose policing as a career path. Helping others, job security and excitement associated

with such work are the most commonly cited reasons for people to join law enforcement. Dubai,

a financial spotlight in the Middle East, has becomes a desert miracle. With its influx of tourists

and investors from all over the world, and its high level of economic activities, Dubai enjoys the

lowest unemployment rate in the United Arab Emirates, itself one of the richest countries in the

world. The abundance of employment opportunities in the UAE are offered not only in the public

sectors but also in private enterprises.

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In contrast to the circumstances in the UAE, college graduates in Taiwan face

unemployment and low salaries, problems that have received considerable societal attention in

recent years. The number of higher education institutions in Taiwan has greatly expanded since

1986, and the number of college graduates far exceeds the number of job vacancies (Ho, 2013).

In search of jobs, graduates face keen competition. And in private sector work they also must

accept low starting salaries. Thus, many students take the national examination and enter

government work, in which they can receive relatively higher salaries and secure fridge benefits.

Law enforcement is one of the career paths in the government sector. Given the different

employment circumstances, it was hypothesized that female officers in Dubai would be more

likely to join law enforcement for altruistic motivations, such as helping others. Taipei officers,

in contrast, would more likely choose the police profession for practical reasons-- job security

and financial benefits. Dubai, given the city’s high employability, women’s career selection may

depend less on financial issues. Consequently, female officers in Dubai would be more self-

efficacious than Taipei officers since they self-selected to enter law enforcement. As delineated

in the literature section, individuals with self-efficacy beliefs are more likely to adapt to

institutional settings and cope with job-related problems and challenges. Empirical studies

revealed that self-efficacy is related to job satisfaction. Thus, it was hypothesized that female

officers in Dubai would be more satisfied with their colleagues (co-workers and supervisors) as

well as with their work and career, compared to their Taipei colleagues.

Methods

Data Collection and Samples

A survey instrument was developed for a search project entitled “gender integration in

policing in a cross-national perspective” that aims to examine male and female officers’ attitudes

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toward women in policing and their job-related attitudes in various countries (regions) around

the globe (Chu & Abudulla, 2014). The survey questions were modified based on the work of

Austin and Hummer (1999), Burk, Richardsen, and Martinussen (2006), Greene and Carmen

(2002), Haba et al. (2009), and Natarajan (2008). The current study, a part of the above

mentioned research project, is based on data collected from female officers in two metropolitan

cities in the United Arab Emirates and Taiwan, namely Dubai and Taipei.

To accommodate the needs of officers’ different language backgrounds in Taipei and

Dubai, the Mandarin Chinese and Arabic versions of the same questionnaire were prepared. The

English questionnaire was translated into Mandarin by a police supervisor in Taiwan who is

fluent in both English and Chinese (the official language used in Taiwan). In the meantime, the

English version of the questionnaire was also translated into Arabic by a native who is fluent in

English and Arabic. To ensure the consistency between the English and Arabic versions, the

Arabic version questionnaire was translated back to English by another native, also fluent in

English and Arabic.

Taipei, with a population of more than 2.7 million, is Taiwan’s most developed

metropolis. The Taipei City Police Department (TCPD), staffed with more than 8,000 sworn

officers, is the country’s largest and most modern police department. Under TCPD, there are 14

police precincts and 94 police stations. The Taiwan sample was taken from three police precincts

and one women and children brigade of the TCPD. The three precincts were selected because of

their representativeness to the three distinct jurisdiction characteristics (major commercial area

with high crime rate; a mix of commercial and residential areas with medium crime rate; area

dominated by a higher percentage of residential districts with low crime rate). Prior to the formal

survey, a pre-test was conducted with seven police officers (of different gender and age range) to

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ensure the clarity of survey questions. The formal survey was conducted between July and

August, 2011. During the period, the author first visited a commander, a deputy commander, and

a section chief at the three precincts, as well as the commander of the women and children

brigade, and explained the purposes of this research. All of the contacted individuals

whorepresent their units expressed a high level of support for the study. Female officers at the

three police precincts and women and children brigade were individually invited to participate in

the survey on a voluntary basis. If the officers were out for duty during the author’s visits, the

commander, deputy commander or section chief helped distribute the survey to the female

officers. A cover page with a brief description of the research purposes and information of the

respondent’s right and assurance of their confidentiality was attached to each survey. Out of 105

distributed surveys, 94 were completed and returned, resulting a 90% response rate.

Dubai Police Headquarters is staffed with 15,000 sworn officers, about 10% of which

officers are females. Before the survey was conducted, the English and Arabic versioned

questionnaires were sent to the Dubai Police Headquartersto solicit advice and recommendations

for improvements. Modifications were made based upon officers’ comments and feedback. The

formal survey was conducted in November, 2011, at which time the author visited the Dubai

Police Headquarters. With the help of the Decision Support Center of the Dubai Police

Headquarters, questionnaires were randomly distributed to female officers in the department (of

different rank, age, and units). Out of the three hundred distributed surveys, two hundred seventy

eight were returned, resulting a 93% response rate.

Data collection at both research sites (Taipei and Dubai) yielded a total of 372 usable

surveys-278 respondents were from Dubai and 94 from Taipei. The response rate in Dubai is

slightly higher than that in Taipei.

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Variables

Five dependent variables were constructed to measure officers’ perceived satisfaction in

various dimensions. These dimensions included satisfaction with supervisors, rapport with co-

workers, satisfaction with work, career advancement, and overall satisfaction. Table 1 displays

the survey items used to construct these variables and reliability estimates. Two variables

(rapport with co-workers; satisfaction with work) utilized a single item. The other three variables

(satisfaction with supervisors, career advancement, and overall satisfaction) were additive scales,

constructed based on two or more items with at least acceptable reliability (Alpha correlations

ranging from .69 to .84) among composing items (see Table 1).

The main independent variables were department affiliation and self-efficacy.

Department affiliation was coded as a dummy variable with 1 representing Dubai Police

Headquarters; 0 indicating Taipei City Police Department. Self-efficacy was measured based

upon one Likert scale item: “I am confident that I can handle police work.” Response categories

included: (1) agree strongly (2) agree somewhat (3) disagree somewhat (4) disagree strongly. To

ease interpretations, all items were reverse coded so that a higher score indicated a higher level

of perceived confidence in handling police work. Control variables included officers’ educational

background, marital status, experience, assignment, rank, perceived stress, and career

orientation. Officers’ educational background, marital status, and assignment were coded as

dummy variables with 1 indicating holding a degree of bachelor or above, married, and patrol (or

crime investigation) assignment. Officers’ experience was measured in years. Rank was coded as

ordinal level: (1) line officer; (2) sergeant; (3) lieutenant; (4) above lieutenant. “Career

orientation” measured whether the officer considered law enforcement as a long-term career

(1=yes; 0=no). The last control variable “perceived stress” was based on two items: “Work-

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related stress has had a negative effect on my family life.” “I feel that there is a considerable

amount of work-related stress.” Two items were summed together to form the index of

“perceived stress.” The questions were constructed with 4-point Likert scale: (1) agree strongly;

(2) agree somewhat; (3) disagree somewhat; (4) disagree strongly. The scales were reverse

coded such that a higher score indicated a higher level of agreement of each of the statements.

The Cronbach’s α value for the items was .67. Collinearity among all independent and control

variables was examined by variance inflation factor (VIF) measure (results not shown). All of

the VIF values were below 2.5, and the issue of multicollinearity was not a concern.

Analysis

Three types of analyses---frequency distribution, mean comparison and multivariate

regression---were conducted. First, frequency distribution was conducted to examine the

percentages of female officers’ motivation to join the police force in both cities. Mean

comparison focused on the mean differences between the Dubai and Taipei officers across

attitudinal dimensions and officer characteristics. OLS regression was then performed to

examine the effects of all explanatory variables on five attitudinal scales (satisfaction with

supervisors, rapport with co-workers, work satisfaction, career advancement, and overall

satisfaction).

Demographic Characteristics of Sample Officers in Dubai and Taipei

On average, the Taipei officers attained higher education levels than their Dubai

colleagues. More than half (51.7%) of the Taipei officers held a bachelor degree or higher, while

only 12.6% of the Dubai officers had a bachelor degree or above. The average age of the Taipei

officers and Dubai officers was 33.35 (SD=9.8) and 29.98 (SD=6.28) years old, respectively.

The Taipei officers had longer tenure in police work than their Dubai colleagues. The average

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length of the Taipei officers’ work at the police force was 10.14 years, whereas Dubai female

officers only had an average tenure of 7.97 years. 73.1% of the sampled Taipei officers and

55.3% of the Dubai officers were line officers. 9.7% of the Taipei officers and 39% of the Dubai

officers held the rank of sergeant. 17.2% of the Taipei officers and 5.7% of the Dubai officers

reached the rank of lieutenant or higher. About the same percentage of the Taipei (59.6%) and

Dubai (61.2%) female officers worked as patrol officers (or worked at the Criminal Investigation

Units) (results not shown).

Findings

Frequency Distribution: Motivation to Join Police Force

The top two reasons for the Dubai female officers to select law enforcement as their

profession were helping others and the extent of excitement. Thirty percent of the Dubai officers

marked helping others as the main reason for them to join law enforcement. Approximate 24% of

the sampled Dubai officers stated that excitement associated with work motivated them to

become police officers. Unlike their colleagues in Dubai, most of the sampled female officers

(more than three quarters) in Taipei entered law enforcement because of job security. Only

12.8% of the Taipei officers stated that helping others inspired them to become police officers.

Less than 6% (5.3%) of the Taipei officers selected law enforcement as their profession due to

excitement associated with the work.

Mean Comparison

Table 2 presents the results from the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The F-

ratio associated with all attitudinal variables were statistically significant, suggesting that Dubai

and Taipei female officers differed in their satisfaction with supervisors, relationship with co-

workers, work, career advancement, and overall satisfaction. In comparison with their

15

counterparts in Taipei, female officers in Dubai were more likely to perceive rapport with co-

workers and to be satisfied with supervisors, with whom they felt that they had good

communication and from whom they received adequate performance appraisals. Female officers

in Dubai were also more inclined to be satisfied with their career advancement and to have a

higher level of overall satisfaction.

In addition, the Dubai and Taipei officers differed significantly in some of their

background characteristics. Compared to the Dubai female officers, female officers in Taipei

were more likely to have a bachelor’s degree or above. Compared to their colleagues in Taipei,

the Dubai officers were more likely to be married and perceive law enforcement as a long term

career and to have a higher level of confidence in police work.

Multivariate Analysis

Table 3 demonstrates the results from the OLS regression analysis. Consistent with most

results of the bivariate analysis, Dubai and Taipei officers differed significantly in several

dimensions: rapport with co-workers, career advancement, and overall satisfaction (controlling

for officers’ individual background characteristics, perceived stress and career orientation).

Dubai officers were more likely than their counterparts in Taipei to have rapport with co-workers

and to be satisfied with career advancement. Female officers in Dubai were also more inclined to

have a higher level of overall satisfaction than their colleagues in Taipei. These findings were

consistent with the predictions. However, there were no significant differences in officers’

satisfaction with their supervisor and with their work between the two cities, which is different

from our hypotheses.

Officer’s perceived efficacy is the only predictor that remained significant across the five

attitudinal dimensions. Officers with a higher level of confidence in police work were more

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likely to have rapport with co-workers and to be satisfied with supervisors, work, and career

advancement. Patrol officers or those who worked at the crime investigation units (CIU) were

less likely to be satisfied with supervisors and work. They also had a lower level of overall

satisfaction, compared to those who worked at non-patrol (or non-CIU) posts. Married officers

were more likely to be satisfied with their work compared to those who were single, divorced, or

separated. Officers who perceived a higher level of stress were less likely to be satisfied with

supervisors and work. The independent and control variables accounted for 12% to 41% of the

variations in the five different dimensions of satisfaction (see Table 3).

---Table 3 about here---

Discussion

Women in Dubai are at the crossroads of modernization and tradition. They cherish

Islamic culture and embrace traditional gender role, but they are also confident about their work.

Female officers in Dubai who have overcome the cultural hurdles to enter a male dominated

profession were determined. They demonstrated a higher level of self-efficacy than their

counterparts in Taipei. Female officers with a higher level of self efficacy were more likely to

adjust well to work environments and to face different challenges at work. Thus, they were more

satisfied with careers as well as have rapport with their colleagues. While the top one reason that

the Dubai female officers cited to join law enforcement was altruistic (helping others), the

majority of policewomen in Taiwan selected police as a profession because job security. The

increase in the number of university in Taiwan produces a history high number of

college graduates whom have to compete for the limited employment opportunities. Thus,

entering law enforcement may be a viable selection for them to be secured financially.

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Table 1: Construction of Dependent Variables

Variable Survey Items Response Categories Cronbach’s alpha

Satisfaction with Supervisors

1. I have good communication with my supervisor.

2. My supervisor provides adequate performance appraisal.

1= Disagree strongly2= Disagree somewhat3= Agree somewhat4= Agree strongly

.84

Rapport with Co-workers

I have a good relationship with my coworkers. 1= Disagree strongly2= Disagree somewhat3= Agree somewhat4= Agree strongly

---

Satisfaction with Work

In general, I am satisfied with my job. 1= Disagree strongly2= Disagree somewhat3= Agree somewhat4= Agree strongly

---

Career Advancement

1. I am satisfied with the success that I have achieved in my career. .

2. I am satisfied with the career advancement opportunities available in my job.

1= Disagree strongly2= Disagree somewhat3= Agree somewhat4= Agree strongly

.69

Overall Satisfaction

1. In general, I am satisfied with my job. .2. I am satisfied with the success that I have

achieved in my career. .3. I am satisfied with the career advancement

opportunities available in my job.

1= Disagree strongly2= Disagree somewhat3= Agree somewhat4= Agree strongly

.76

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Table 2: Descriptive Statistics and Mean Comparison by Affiliation

Dubai HQ(N=278)

Taipei PD(N=94)

Mean SD Mean SD F-ratioa

Attitudinal DimensionsSatisfaction with Supervisors 6.44 1.83 5.54 .98 20.32***

Rapport with Co-workers 3.56 .72 3.15 .46 26.06***

Satisfaction with Work 3.32 .87 2.69 .59 43.15***

Career Advancement 6.32 1.68 4.95 1.15 54.21***

Overall Satisfaction 9.65 2.26 7.64 1.52 64.30***

Officer BackgroundPatrol .61 .49 .60 .49 .08

Married .58 .49 .35 .48 16.16***

College Graduated .13 .33 .51 .50 71.94***

Rank 1.50 .60 1.44 .77 .64

Experience (in year) 7.97 6.39 10.14 11.16 5.10*

Self-Efficacy 3.68 .61 2.72 .58 174.86***

Career Orientation .79 .41 .54 ..50 22.43***

Perceived Stress 5.54 1.84 5.26 1.26 1.81a. One-way ANOVA was used to compute the ratio. *p<.05, **p<.01, ***p<.001 one-tailed

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Table 3: Multiple Regression Summarya.

VariableSatisfaction

w/SupervisorsRapport

w/CoworkersSatisfaction

w/WorkCareer

AdvancementOverall

Satisfaction

Dubai HQ .512+

(.282).251*(.119)

.108(.121)

.904**(.273)

.997**(.338)

Patrol (CIU) -.616**(.197)

-.108(.083)

-.236**(.085)

.001+

(.156)-.572*(.237)

Married .039(.202)

.046(.085)

.235**(.087)

.022(.196)

.268(.242)

College Graduated -.011(.269)

-.006(.114)

-.118(.116)

-.076(.261)

-.193(.323)

Rank .115(.155)

.102(.065)

.026(.067)

.071(.150)

.102(.186)

Experience (in year) .007(.013)

-.002(.005)

.000(.006)

.003(.013)

.003(.016)

Self-Efficacy .478**(.159)

.151*(.067)

.549***(.068)

.526**(.154)

1.084***(.190)

Career Orientation -.068(.209)

.013(.088)

.123(.090)

.240(.202)

.354(.250)

Perceived Stress -.147***(.053)

.007(.023)

-.097***(.023)

-.098+

(.052)-.197**(.064)

R2 .166 .119 .413 .233 .351a Entries are standardized regression coefficients, with standard errors in parentheses.+p<.08, *p<.05, **p<.01, ***p<.001 one-tailedCIU: Crime Investigation Unit

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