The Impact of External Evaluations of Female Police Officers on Professional Consciousness: Focusing on the Moderating Effect of Work-Life Balance

This study explored the moderating mechanism of organizational work-life balance support in the relationship between social evaluation and professional consciousness experienced by female police officers. A hierarchical regression analysis was conducted on 290 female police officers currently working in Jeju, and the results revealed that both external evaluation and work-life balance positively influence professional consciousness. Notably, a moderating effect of work-life balance was identified: when work-life balance was low, the influence of external evaluation was significant, but when work-life balance was high, this influence was mitigated, suggesting that work-life balance acts as a buffer protecting professional consciousness from external evaluation. Group analysis based on marriage experience revealed that no moderating effect was observed in the group of female police officers without marriage experience, whereas a strong moderating effect was observed in the group with marriage experience, confirming that work-life balance serves as a more critical psychological resource for female police officers balancing dual roles in family and work. These results suggest that, to strengthen the professional consciousness of female police officers, organizational cultural changes and life-cycle-based customized support measures are necessary beyond institutional improvements.