"Che goda di ottima reputazione" : origini e reclutamento della Polizia femminile italiana all'inizio degli anni '60.

The article constructs a collective portrait of the pioneering recruits to Italy' s Polizia femminile during the early 1960s. Drawing on an original dataset built from 84 personnel files of successful candidates, we analyze both formal entry requirements and the informal filters actually deployed by the Administration. Alongside demanding examinations and unusually high educational thresholds for the period, candidates underwent extensive background inquiries concerning family reputation, political orientation, and morality. The article explores the social and territorial profile of entrants, predominantly urban, often from the CenterSouth, and divided between diplomaholding assistants and lawgraduate inspectors, highlighting different labormarket strategies. The article sets out an agenda for further research on careers, everyday practices, and international comparisons. [Publisher's text]