• Korean Security Journal
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• no.49
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• pp.11-36
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• 2016

The prior studies have well established the factors of correctional staff's stress at work. However, it is not clearly identified gender-specific factors influencing female correctional officers' level of stress. Thus, this study aims to examine factors particularly influencing female correctional officers' stress, such as child-rearing and work conflict, overwork bounden, and strains from male-oriented organizational culture. This current data utilized a set of survey data drawn from female correctional officers from 124 prisons located in different regions in this nation. Finally, a total of 172 female correctional officers's survey data was used for the analysis. A set of multivariate analyses reveal that security staff role, satisfaction for life, positive perception toward correctional officers' leadership in prison decreased the risk of stress among female correctional officers. Regarding work-job conflicts variables, child-rearing and work conflict and strains from male-oriented organizational culture were significantly associated with female correctional officers' stress. Yet, the direction of the two variables were different. For female officers, child-rearing and work conflict was not a risk factor for stress in that i decreased the level of stress. But the variable of strains from male-oriented organizational culture was a risk factor for female officers' stress level. Further suggestions for the future studies, discussion on contributions of the current study and policy implications were discussed in the last part of this article.

• Korean Security Journal
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• no.45
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• pp.37-63
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• 2015

The purpose of this study explores the relationship between male inmates' gender stereotypes for female correctional officers and its impact on their stress level while they are doing their time in prisons. To fulfill the purpose of this study, this study uses a set of survey data of 216 male inmates collected from prisons nationwide. The data contains information regarding male inmates' perceptions towards male and female correctional officers as well as their stress level in prisons. The findings of this study suggest that male inmates have low level of gender stereotype against female correctional officers. Further, this study found that none of male inmates' gender perceptions toward female officers has impact on the inmates' reported stress. Rather, perceptions toward the entire correctional officers, which include both gender officers, have influence on the inmates's stress during incarceration. This finding suggests that male inmates consider female officers as a part of professional correctional organization without specific gender stereotype or perceptions toward female officers. It indicates that the concerns regarding the relationship between male inmates and female officers may be a mere myth rather than a serious issues that need to be considered as a barrier for expand female officers carrier opportunity in the corrections systems. Finally, Implications for the research findings for preventing suicide attacks are discussed.