/

Aichi police system aids child-rearing female officers

JIJI

NAGOYA – A new system introduced by the Aichi Prefectural Police allows two officers returning to work after child care leave to share a single post so that female officers raising children won’t feel ashamed if they can’t work overtime or be on night duty.

The system makes it easier for officers with young children to be accepted since their workplace is staffed with one extra member. Also, they can easily work shorter hours and discuss child care with each other, according to the police department.

An officer hailed the system, saying it enables her to “balance work and child care.”

The Aichi police said 47 female officers with a preschool child or children are assigned in fiscal 2013 to desk jobs at the prefectural police headquarters and police stations and work half an hour to two hours less than usual.

The Aichi police’s system can serve as a model when other prefectural forces, which are typically male-dominated, need to increase the ranks of female officers.

  • blimp

    It is odd how these policies are always aimed at the woman. Wouldn’t it be better to try to incentivising men to spend more time taking care of the child/children?

  • blimp

    I fail to see how I blame a specific gender.

    Also I don’t see the disadvantage of incentivising men to spend more time with their children just because there might very well be some women that would oppose men spending more time with their children. It is a bit like saying that there is no point in supporting the promotion of women just because there are some women that would like to stay at home.

,