Praising the Police, Avoiding the Station: Gendered Differences on Police–Public Relations in Kuwait

Nasser AlSabah^1*Susan Nembhard¹Kieren Aris¹Malak AlRasheed²

• ¹John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York City, United States
• ²Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait

Women's interactions with critical institutions in the Middle East are constrained by patriarchal norms, particularly within the male-dominated criminal justice system. While this dynamic is widely acknowledged, its effect on police-community relations has remained empirically unexamined. This study provides the first quantitative analysis from Kuwait, examining how gender shapes public perceptions of and cooperation with the police. Using survey data from Kuwait's National Police, we analyzed responses from 1050 members of the public to assess how gender influences trust in the police, perceptions of officer behavior, and willingness to cooperate with law enforcement. Preliminary pairwise analysis revealed a critical paradox: while women report more favorable views of police interactions, they demonstrate a significantly greater reluctance to cooperate with them. Further multivariate testing revealed that age, marital status, and educational background are significant correlates of female opinions on law enforcement, underscoring how cultural dynamics potentially influence their views. These findings provide novel, quantitative evidence of how gender inequality manifests in police-community relations, significantly altering experiences, access, and outlooks on the justice system. By highlighting the social and cultural factors that inhibit women's engagement with the police, this research offers crucial insights for policymakers to enhance women's empowerment and well-being in the region. Future research should build on these findings by further exploring the cultural factors that create barriers to, or opportunities for, women's equal access to justice in the region.