"You're Going to Make a Hell of a Corrections Man Someday": Work Experiences of Female Wardens and Superintendents

Authors

Karen A. Altendorf, Bucknell University

Abstract

"This project describes the experiences of female wardens and superintendents in state correctional facilities in the United States. There has been little research on women in leadership positions in corrections; most research has focused on females working in non-traditional occupations or as corrections officers. This project describes how women negotiate gender in a masculine organizational culture where they are not always welcome. In-depth interviews were conducted with twenty-nine wardens and superintendents from thirteen states. The subjects discussed various issues women working in corrections face, from appearance to interacting with inmates and coworkers, being under near-constant scrutiny as women, and being held to high standards of professionalism. The women interviewed addressed the positive benefits of women working in corrections and their contributions to their institutions, the field of corrections, and working women."

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Altendorf, Karen A. (2024) ""You're Going to Make a Hell of a Corrections Man Someday": Work Experiences of Female Wardens and Superintendents," Qualitative Criminology (QC): Vol. 13: No. 2, Article 5.
Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/qc/vol13/iss2/5