Do females feel safe? The impact of legislation on airport security policies since 9/11: a female perspective
The aim of this study is to explore and analyse how females feel about airport security and policies under the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001, and whether they believe curren...
A Project submitted in partial fulfilment of the
requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in
Criminology and Sociology at Manchester
Metropolitan University
Do females feel safe? The impact of legislation on airport
security policies since 9/11: a female perspective
Malaika Ahmed
2022
1
,Table of Contents
Abstract.................................................................................................................................................3
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................4
Literature Review..................................................................................................................................5
Methodology.......................................................................................................................................11
Analysing Themes................................................................................................................................18
Thematic Analysis................................................................................................................................19
Discussion of Research Findings..........................................................................................................25
Conclusion...........................................................................................................................................29
Reflective Discussion...........................................................................................................................31
Bibliography.........................................................................................................................................33
Appendices..........................................................................................................................................38
Appendix 1: Consent Form..............................................................................................................38
Appendix 2: Participant Information Sheet......................................................................................39
Appendix 3: Interview Guide...........................................................................................................43
Appendix 4: Interview Transcripts...................................................................................................44
2
, Abstract
The aim of this study is to explore and analyze how females feel about airport
security and policies under the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001, and
whether they believe current policies are fair and non-discriminatory to answer the
research question. The reasoning behind this study is from the researchers’ personal
experience of being targeted at the airport for more security checks due to their
ethnicity which was an eye-opening experience. Which brings us to the research
question: Do females feel safe? More specifically, do female members of ethnic
minorities feel their rights are respected and protected at airports.
The sociological significance regarding this question allowed the methodology to be
constructed. The overall findings of this research include a mix of primary research
interviews and some of the work of Becker (1963), Delsol (2015) and Gabbidon et al.
(2011). This study also uses current statistics, existing literature, and surveys to
conclude whether it is just the airport experiences of male’s that are focused on, with
female’s voices being a gap in existing research. Therefore, it was a priority to
contribute to existing literature by filling in the gaps. To do this, a female perspective
on airport security was crucial.
3
, Introduction
The term Ethnicity refers to the belonging to a social group that share a common
national or cultural origin, for example, Arabs, Africans, Pakistanis etc (Fenton,
2010). Carr et al., (2020) explain how “…airlines and airport security administration
receive negative publicity when passengers are mistreated at security check
points…”. (Carr et al.,2020:1). This shows how airport security measures have been
intensified and firmed in recent decades due to 9/11, and discrimination from these
measures are still apparent. These measures may be seen as a way forward in
minimizing potential terrorist attacks, or these measures may be seen as intrusive
especially by those of non-white ethnicity. A study compiled by Salib (2010);
concluded that white individuals preferred white objectives while belittling Arab
individuals within an airport security setting. These findings support the research and
discussion chapters of this study. It is evident that there is absence among current
literature when it comes to the relationship between females, their ethnicity, and their
encounters with airport security measures. Therefore, this study aims to support the
ideology that females of non-white ethnic backgrounds do not feel safe when
passing through security when boarding a flight. Semi-structured interviews have
been the chosen method to assemble research to support this theory. These types of
interviews were a suitable research method, as it allows for an in-depth analysis of
individual’s experiences. The small number of interviews conducted, had to be taken
into consideration when designing the interview questions to ensure that each
question was as precise and useful as possible, resulting in a rich and successful
interview. This study is made up of chapters, the first being the literature review,
which gives an insight into current literature surrounding airport security, focusing on
previous surveys that have been conducted as well as gaps in current literature. The
methodology chapter focuses on the sample and design, with justifications
surrounding semi-structured interviews, the inclusion criteria, ethical, and practical
issues, with reference to relevant theories. This chapter then proceeds into the
reasoning in why a thematic analysis was carried out on the data; an in-depth
analysis which highlights any themes among the data, which consisted of searching
for similar patterns among the interviews between each participant. Lastly, an overall
discussion on the results obtained finishes off this dissertation, with the aim to
answer the main research question.
4
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