Gender Dynamics in Criminal Justice: A Study of Student Attitudes Towards Women

Women in the criminal justice system still have to endure stereotypical and unequal treatment that could affect the perceptions of future practitioners of the profession, despite the improvement of gender equality. The purpose of the study was to determine students' attitudes towards the criminal justice system regarding women. The research participants were 278 criminology students of UM Digos College, and the researchers used a comparative research technique. Results indicated that most participants were male, aged 21-23, in their third year of study, mostly Bisaya, and single. Students demonstrated moderate levels of positive attitudes towards women in the criminal justice field. Considerable variations were found by sex, with male students showing more positive attitudes than their female counterparts. In addition, first-year students had the most positive perceptions, whereas minority groups such as Bagobo and other ethnicities had more positive perceptions than the Bisaya majority. There were no significant differences in attitudes when analyzed by age or relationship status. The socio-demographic variables, such as sex, academic exposure, and tribe, showed a significant difference. It is recommended that criminal justice educators incorporate gender-sensitivity training and awareness courses into the criminology curriculum to foster a more inclusive outlook among women in the profession

Gender dynamics, Criminal Justice, attitude, women

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