Women Police Officers' Perceptions of Organizational Support for Maternal Responsibilities in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Despite a rise in the total of women working in the police service, they remain underrepresented and underutilized within these institutions. It is important to remember that, even with the advancements in women's participation, policing duties remains one of the most gendered professions in contemporary society. This study aimed to determine women police officers' perceptions of organizational support for maternal responsibilities. The cross-sectional survey design was applied, with women police officers as the target population. A multistage sampling technique was applied, with clustering of the constituencies and wards, and purposively sampling them. Stations in the wards were simple random sampled. Stratified sampling was utilized to get the officers in groups of junior, commissioned officers and the gazetted officers. Participating police officers purposively sampled. Questionnaires and an interview guide were the instruments of information collection. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically, while quantitative data was examined by use of descriptive statistics of percentages, averages, means, and pie charts. The study found that, there are four women police officers' perceptions of organizational support for maternal responsibilities: Organizational support as being minimal and unsatisfactory, the appreciation of the structured maternity leaves policies that are aligning with labor laws, organizational support was being hindered and disrupted by the men who are dominated sector, and that the inception of the service was with less consideration to women Police Officers' Maternal Responsibilities. The study concluded that, minimal Organizational Support that despite structured maternity leave policies aligning with labor laws. The study recommended that, the NPS should implement tailored policies, such as predictable shift schedules and non-operational duties for women officers during critical maternal phases.