The integration of women into law enforcement positions can be considered a large social change. Within industrialized nations in the early 1900s, there were few jobs open to women in law enforcement; however, timelines vary for developing nations. Within industrialized nations, a small number of women worked as correctional officers, and their assignments were usually limited to peripheral tasks. Women traditionally worked in juvenile facilities, handled crimes involving female offenders, or performed clerical tasks. In these early days, women were not considered as capable as men in law enforcement. Recently, many options have opened up, creating new possible careers.

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