Directly or indirectly, diplomacy affects us all, it is thus important to have diverse representation. However, this is not an easy feat. This research focuses on the reasons for the low percentage...Show moreDirectly or indirectly, diplomacy affects us all, it is thus important to have diverse representation. However, this is not an easy feat. This research focuses on the reasons for the low percentage of women in senior diplomacy compared to the number of women in the field altogether. This was researched by conducting a case study in the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where 12 employees were interviewed. A literature review combined with in-depth interviewing showed three main obstacles that prevent equal representation in senior diplomacy. Diplomacy is still associated with men, who are associated with having hard skills. Women are associated with soft skills and thus less likely to be seen as suitable candidates for leadership. Moreover, women carry out gender specific actions that add pressure on top of their work, which can increase the likelihood of women leaving the field. Gender specific actions are related to dealing with misidentification, undervaluation, and the lack of access to old-boys’ networks. Networking is essential in promotion rounds and as women are often kept out of these circles, levelling up becomes a challenge. In addition, the career of a women can differ from that of a man, around which diplomacy is structured, due to part time work related to family responsibilities or due to maternity leave. This takes a gap out of a woman’s career path and can make it difficult for women to catch up to men and reach the senior levels. Based on the findings, research must be done to combat these challenges to create equal opportunities for women in diplomacy to reach the diplomatic top and break the glass ceiling.Show less
Police officers need hard skills and soft skill during their work. Adequate soft skills are essential for a police officer because they use them during most of their time working, they can prevent...Show morePolice officers need hard skills and soft skill during their work. Adequate soft skills are essential for a police officer because they use them during most of their time working, they can prevent unnecessary use of force and they influence the public perception of police quality. Feedback is less objective for soft skills training and real interactions are too complex to simulate in a classroom. Virtual Reality (VR) soft skills training might be able to create a more realistic training environment. The first part of the study used a survey to research police officers’ feeling of preparedness for different incidents. It was expected that police officers feel more prepared for incidents requiring hard skills compared to incidents requiring soft skills. In the second part of the study, participants tried out two VR empathy simulations and answered questionnaires about their experience. It was expected that the simulations were able to induce empathy towards the protagonist in police officers. It was also expected that self-reported presence predicts how police officers rate the effectivity of the training. Although results show that participants indicated to feel more prepared for incidents requiring hard skills, participants mostly mentioned that soft skills should be better prepared. This contradiction is possibly caused by a relationship between the work experience of the participants and their feeling of preparedness. The VR simulations were unable to induce empathy and no relationship was found between self-reported presence and the effectivity of the training. Future research should investigate the feeling of preparedness of recently graduated police officers. More research is needed into the effectiveness of VR empathy training. Learning more about police officers’ feeling of preparedness and the effectivity of VR contributes to the soft skill adequacy of police officers and possibly other professional fields.Show less
