Why do women complain less than men?

This article previously featured in Women in Prison’s spring/summer 22 magazine.

The Prisons & Probation Ombudsman (PPO) are trying to understand why women in prison file less complaints than men. Assistant Ombudsman Mike talks about what they are doing to try and encourage women to come forward.

Women in Prison Spring Summer magazine front cover

Although women make up 4% of the prison population, only 1% of the complaints that come to the PPO are from women.

In prison, men tend to be more vocal when it comes to making complaints, but we are keen to ensure women also feel confident to ask us to investigate a complaint on their behalf. We will take your complaint seriously and investigate it fully if it is within our remit. We can’t promise to uphold your complaint, or  give you the outcome you want, but we will always explain the reasons for our decisions.

The PPO are an independent investigative service and do not take sides. We work closely with prison staff and managers to try and resolve complaints at the earliest opportunity and to ensure mistakes are not repeated. As a senior investigating manager, when I investigate individual complaints I look for patterns across complaints to see what they might tell me about prison policies and procedures. I use this information to make recommendations to governors and senior managers in the prison service about the things that might need changing.

Some people tell us women in prison do not make as many complaints as men because women have better relationships with prison staff and are better at resolving conflict. But, I also worry that women are more likely to put up with bad situations or be more concerned about causing any trouble.

The only people who can say why women in prison don't complain are the women who are in prison. For this reason, my team and I will be visiting as many women's prisons as we can.

However, the only people who can say why women in prison don’t complain are the women who are in prison. For this reason, my team and I will be visiting as many women’s prisons as we can this year to speak with you. Please say hello if you see us and come along to one of our sessions – it is a chance to share your opinions. Information about how and when you can join these sessions will be available from prison staff as soon as dates have been agreed.