Doctor of Arts in Leadership
Student Research Projects
Promoting and Retaining Women in Command in New Hampshire: Breaking Through the Brass Ceiling
Amanda Guthorn Warman
This study relates to the opportunities for upward mobility of women in law enforcement in New Hampshire. The metaphor of the "brass ceiling" represents the idea that (qualified) women in organizations can see the top but cannot reach it, the "brass ceiling" suggests that many women in law enforcement don't see leadership opportunities as a possibility at all.
Questions to be researched in this project are:
- Do law enforcement leaders perceive a "brass ceiling"? How have they seen it manifested and what impact does it have on their own aspirations for advancement?
- Do female line officers perceive a "brass ceiling"? How have they seen it manifested and what impact does it have on their own aspirations for advancement?
This study will employ a mixed mothodology approach. The first step will be to conduct a quantitative survey of women in law enforcement in NH to create a demographic profile and solicit volunteers for qualitative interviews. The second step will be grounded theory research via interviews using open-ended questions. The interviews will be recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed using a qualitative research analysis software program. The study will conclude with a set of findings and development of areas for further research.
The student plans to complete the project by December 2010.
