Overcoming Gender Discrimination in Fire Departments - Research Paper Example

Overcoming Gender Discrimination in Fire Departments Name: Institution: Overcoming Gender Discrimination in Fire Departments Introduction Due to developments in various technological fields, most societies in the world are becoming increasingly diverse. Almost all countries boast populations that are comprised of people with varying ethnicities, religions, races, cultures and other variations. The United States is one of the most diverse countries in the world combining ethnicities and beliefs from different ends of the globe. Despite these circumstances, the American fire department is still homogeneous. Researchers estimate that Caucasian males still make up most of the department and that this is causing problems that affect recruitment within the organization and the quality of services that firefighters provide. The fact they serve an extremely diverse population means that firefighters need to understand the recipients of their services and the homogeneous nature of the department is acting as a hindrance. One particular area of concern is the fact that women within the fire department are still having problems cooperating with their colleagues. Experts estimate that more than a third of women in the department are victims of discrimination while more than half of them experience social isolation within the fire service. This situation is causing a dearth of problems for the service and it is important for the fire department to tackle the issue of gender discrimination so that it can be able to provide its services competently. Gender Discrimination within Fire Departments Discrimination refers to a situation where people receive unequal treatment and benefits that are determined by a range of issues such as race, religion, gender, age, ethnicity or even nationality regardless of merit, personal abilities and qualifications. Some scholars argue that most incidences of discrimination are based on ascriptive statuses such as race, ethnicity and gender (Cohn, 2009). In gender discrimination, the unequal treatment is based on the sex of the recipients. Cohn (2009) argues that gender discrimination has seen a significant reduction over the last few decades. Changes in the differences within male-female income are testament to this shift as they indicate that employers and different organizations are gradually leveling matters concerning the salaries that the different genders earn. However, gender inequality is still an issue when it comes to recruitment. Men and women are still working within occupations that most people consider masculine or feminine. Cohn (2009) refers to this phenomenon as occupational sex-typing and explains that it bears a noticeable influence on the economic security of both genders. Occupational sex-typing is a problem that significantly affects the fire department. Scholars explain that firefighting is still a “quintessential masculine job” meaning that most people consider it a man’s work (Crawley, Foley & Shehan, 2008, p. 120). In line with this, Chetkovich explains that people generally expect firefighters to have a range of qualities that are considered masculine (as cited in Crawley et al., 2008). Examples include athleticism, being unemotional, aggressiveness, competitiveness and having the ability to handle tools. These and other attributes have essentially made the role of firefighting that of a man. Because of these conditions, gender discrimination is rife within most fire departments in the United States. The fact that women only make up 3.5 percent of the country’s firefighters is testament to the critical nature of the problem within the service. Statistics from 2006 show that the United States only had 5,800 women working as professional firefighters while an additional forty thousand were registered as volunteers (Giard and Albany Fire Department, 2003). Scholars have identified several problems that surround the integration of women within fire departments. Some of these problems are based on a culture that surrounds the profession while others arise from the perception that firefighting is a masculine occupation. Crawley et al. (2008) state that women are normally kept out of the firefighting service through harsh recruitment policies that focus on the physicality of the applicants. When potential recruits apply for occupation at firefighting departments, the recruiters normally subject them to a series of tests that gauge their physical abilities. Most firefighting departments have strict requirements of their applicants’ height, weight and strength. Critics of these requirements claim that the firefighting departments have never shown the relation between them and the occupation’s demands. Accordingly, scholars have claimed that the physical tests are a method that firefighting departments use to sort out male and female applicants with a system that cloaks the rampant gender discrimination. Through these rigid standards, the departments have a way of making sure that few women apply for the job and even fewer qualify for available positions (Crawley et al., 2008). Female firefighters also have problems integrating themselves into their respective departments because of the attitudes that their male counterparts adopt. Crawley et al. (2008) claim that the resistance of male colleagues to the integration of women within their ranks acts as a major impediment to the diversification of fire departments in the United States. Events that unfolded in the San Francisco Fire Department in 2001 showed the extent to which male firefighters were opposed to having to work with female colleagues. According to Stern, male members of the San Francisco department released a newsletter that branded female firefighters with derogatory and humiliating terms such as “sisters without backbone” and “job thieves” (as cited in Crawley et al., 2008, p. 121). These references reveal the fact that the male firefighters consider their colleagues to be weak and frail. For men in the profession, the recruitment of women into firefighting departments means that they have been forced to work with colleagues who were not as capable and cope with the loss of the “all-male social environment” that they had thrived in before (Crawley et al., 2008, p. 121). An additional source of gender discrimination within fire departments is the perception that certain roles within society are preserved for the either of the two genders. Scholars explain that most men consider their work to be an expression of their masculinity. Alternatively, home keeping and the raising of children are roles that men consider the preserve of women. Because of these reasons, men are alarmed at the disturbance of the traditional gender roles through the recruitment of women into occupations and careers that are essentially masculine like law enforcement and firefighting (Giard and Albany Fire Department, 2003). Effects of Gender Discrimination on the Workplace Environment Through the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and several other federal statutes, discrimination in the workplace because of gender or any other status is illegal. Because of this, the United States fire service has encountered numerous problems due to practices in the recruitment and promotion that are discriminatory in nature. For instance, the different fire departments in the United States have had to face legal suits filed by employees and former workers who believed that discriminatory practices hindered their career progression and performance in the workplace. In 2013, five women settled with the New York Fire Department for 1.25 million dollars because they believed they had been by-passed for promotions due to their gender. Such lawsuits affect the fire service negatively by increasing its expenditure and creating bad publicity (Goldstein, 2013). Gender discrimination also affects the fire department by making female firefighters less resourceful. The conditions surrounding their employment normally make it difficult for women firefighters to operate to the fullest of their abilities. Harsh circumstances in the workplace stifle the talent and creativity of female firefighters. This translates to various loses for the department as a whole. Additionally, the diversification that women firefighters bring normally helps the fire service develop and grow. If women are subjected to discrimination, the fire department is likely to stagnate because most contributions are being made by members from the same demographic thus making them similar (Berkman et al., 2004). Solutions to the Problem Policy Changes Different parties have proposed solutions to the problem of gender discrimination within the firefighting service. One of the solutions used to rectify the issue is the changing of recruitment policies within the departments. Policy changes can help reduce the requirements that the departments set for new recruits. This could mean that the specifications will not focus solely on certain physical abilities or skills that are mostly masculine. Changes to policies could also make the system more sensitive to the genders by ensuring that the different departments set requirements that male and female applicants can match (Crawley et al., 2008). A good example of effective policy changes concerning recruitment in a fire department is the action taken by the Minneapolis division. The Minneapolis Fire Department’s chief instituted a task force that investigated the issue of unfair recruitment policies that many applicants claimed were gender insensitive. Following the investigation, the department adopted a new system that removed the rigid physical requirements. Instead, the selection of recruits would be based on the average score of all of the recruits who participated in the test. Additionally, a training program lasting twelve weeks was created to give women a chance to ready themselves for the test that the department uses to determine admission (Crawley et al., 2008). Cultural Diversity Training To deal with the problem surrounding gender discrimination, there is a need to change the perceptions of male firefighters towards their female counterparts. Experts claim that training in matters of cultural diversity can help the fire service shift from its policy of homogeneity to one that provides acceptance and support for people with different genders, cultures and ethnicities. The diversity training would essentially educate the male firefighters on different forms of prejudice and stereotyping that have a negative effect on the workplace environment. The facilitators of the training should place emphasis on the issues that particularly affect the department so that they can ensure that the process achieves positive results. Additionally, it is more important for the administration to make the training a continuous process so that it can tackle issues that develop later and to sustain a workplace environment that is calm and resourceful (Berkman et al., 2004). Removal of the Policy of Assimilation Experts state that fire departments normally have a similar reaction to new recruits that do not fit in with them. The first step is normally the rejection of the recruit for a varying number of reasons. If the first step fails, the group reluctantly accepts the newcomer but asserts its position by claiming that the novice will receive the same treatment as everybody else. This means that the firefighters will not refrain from racist and sexist behavior or provide certain essential privileges such as restroom privacy. Instead, the group expects the recruit to assimilate into the environment and modify their behavior and expectations to match of those of the larger group (Berkman et al., 2004). Assimilation affects fire departments in a wide range of ways making it necessary that administrators ensure it is removed. Male firefighters cannot expect their female counterparts to assimilate themselves into a predominantly male group. There is a need to create regulations and guidelines that make it possible for women to operate in such environments without having to become masculine. Women should not have to be aggressive or have a strong command presence if it goes against their nature. Accordingly, administrators and commanders can remove the strategy of assimilation by exercising their power and enforcing regulations that are gender sensitive. Fire departments can also scrap assimilation by providing women with support groups that help them ease the process of their integration into the occupation (Berkman et al., 2004). Strong Leadership Removing the culture of gender discrimination within the United States fire service will require different people in the favorable end of the status quo to make steps towards resolving the issue. People who promote change within most institutions normally face a lot of resistance and this is the case within the fire department. For these reasons, leaders, commanders and other people occupying senior positions should participate actively in the process of changing the practices that have facilitated the discrimination of female firefighters (Berkman et al., 2004). Experts argue that the first step in the process of change requires the leaders to acknowledge their own prejudices and stereotypes. This step can then be followed by the acceptance of other ideas and opinions, so that the leaders find a way to coexist with people from varying backgrounds. Lastly, the administrators of different fire departments should take the lead and promote the diversification of their workplaces themselves. This promotion could come through the encouragement of conflict resolution through communication. Additionally, the involvement of the department’s administrators and senior officers can help make diversification an institutionalized policy so that women and other victims of discrimination continually benefit from it (Berkman et al., 2004). Conclusion Gender discrimination is a large problem within fire departments in the United States. A majority of the firefighters in the country are Caucasian males and this has resulted in the formation of a culture that hinders the integration of people from different backgrounds. Women are the main victims of the discriminatory practices in which male firefighters engage. The problems surrounding female firefighters start in the recruitment process, where they are expected to show the same physicality and attributes as men, and continue into their careers, as their male counterparts expect them to assimilate themselves into a masculine environment. The issue of gender bias in the fire service even affects the careers of women by making it harder for them to earn promotions within their departments, meaning that they end up earning less income than male colleagues who may not be as resourceful. These circumstances have affected fire departments in various ways. Lawsuits have cost some divisions as much as a million dollars while female members of the fire service have been unable to contribute fully. Experts have proposed a range of solutions to these problems. Key among them is the scrapping of the policy of assimilation that demands that women adjust their standards so that they can acquiesce to the practices and habits of their male colleagues. Additionally, there is a need to carry out cultural diversity training so that all firefighters can learn how to accept and work with people from varying backgrounds. References Berkman, B., Floren, T. M., Willing, L. F., Women in the Fire Service, United States Fire Administration and United States Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2004). Many faces, one purpose: A manager’s handbook on women in firefighting. Madison: Women in the Fire Service. Cohn, S. (2009). Race and gender discrimination at work. New York: Westview Press. Crawley, S. L., Foley, L. J. & Shehan, C. L. (2008). Gendering Bodies. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield. Giard, D. A., & Albany. Fire Department. (2003). Gender bias and its impact on women's advancement in the fire service. Emmitsburg, MD: National Fire Academy. Goldstein, J. (2013, June 14). 5 settle gender bias suit against fire department. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/15/nyregion/women-settle-gender-bias-lawsuit-against-fire-dept.html?_r=0. Read More

Occupational sex-typing is a problem that significantly affects the fire department. Scholars explain that firefighting is still a “quintessential masculine job” meaning that most people consider it a man’s work (Crawley, Foley & Shehan, 2008, p. 120). In line with this, Chetkovich explains that people generally expect firefighters to have a range of qualities that are considered masculine (as cited in Crawley et al., 2008). Examples include athleticism, being unemotional, aggressiveness, competitiveness and having the ability to handle tools.

These and other attributes have essentially made the role of firefighting that of a man. Because of these conditions, gender discrimination is rife within most fire departments in the United States. The fact that women only make up 3.5 percent of the country’s firefighters is testament to the critical nature of the problem within the service. Statistics from 2006 show that the United States only had 5,800 women working as professional firefighters while an additional forty thousand were registered as volunteers (Giard and Albany Fire Department, 2003).

Scholars have identified several problems that surround the integration of women within fire departments. Some of these problems are based on a culture that surrounds the profession while others arise from the perception that firefighting is a masculine occupation. Crawley et al. (2008) state that women are normally kept out of the firefighting service through harsh recruitment policies that focus on the physicality of the applicants. When potential recruits apply for occupation at firefighting departments, the recruiters normally subject them to a series of tests that gauge their physical abilities.

Most firefighting departments have strict requirements of their applicants’ height, weight and strength. Critics of these requirements claim that the firefighting departments have never shown the relation between them and the occupation’s demands. Accordingly, scholars have claimed that the physical tests are a method that firefighting departments use to sort out male and female applicants with a system that cloaks the rampant gender discrimination. Through these rigid standards, the departments have a way of making sure that few women apply for the job and even fewer qualify for available positions (Crawley et al., 2008). Female firefighters also have problems integrating themselves into their respective departments because of the attitudes that their male counterparts adopt.

Crawley et al. (2008) claim that the resistance of male colleagues to the integration of women within their ranks acts as a major impediment to the diversification of fire departments in the United States. Events that unfolded in the San Francisco Fire Department in 2001 showed the extent to which male firefighters were opposed to having to work with female colleagues. According to Stern, male members of the San Francisco department released a newsletter that branded female firefighters with derogatory and humiliating terms such as “sisters without backbone” and “job thieves” (as cited in Crawley et al., 2008, p. 121).

These references reveal the fact that the male firefighters consider their colleagues to be weak and frail. For men in the profession, the recruitment of women into firefighting departments means that they have been forced to work with colleagues who were not as capable and cope with the loss of the “all-male social environment” that they had thrived in before (Crawley et al., 2008, p. 121). An additional source of gender discrimination within fire departments is the perception that certain roles within society are preserved for the either of the two genders.

Scholars explain that most men consider their work to be an expression of their masculinity. Alternatively, home keeping and the raising of children are roles that men consider the preserve of women. Because of these reasons, men are alarmed at the disturbance of the traditional gender roles through the recruitment of women into occupations and careers that are essentially masculine like law enforcement and firefighting (Giard and Albany Fire Department, 2003).

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