Women in the Fire Service: Breaking Down the Gender Barrier - Term Paper Example

Women In The Fire Service: Breaking Down The Gender Barrier Introduction There has been an immense change in the number of Female Firefighters over the years. It is not just that they have increased in number, there has also been a drastic improvement in their morale and determination to encounter all challenges that come in their way and prove their equality to men. In the magazines and articles discussing Female Firefighters today, one can frequently come across such words: She was holding a frightened child in her arms. Her eyes were riveted intently on some distant, obviously distressing activity just beyond the camera lens. Her face was etched with exhaustion and concern. I looked at the photograph for a long time and thought, "You`ve come a long way, baby." Lieutenant Diven demonstrated just how far the journey has been. Here she was, a professional female firefighter: all the power and capability of a man combined with the gentle, nurturing nature of a woman. The photograph said it all. (Staley, 1997). Although more women have poured into this profession today than they did few decades ago and despite their will and determination to prove their capability in this field, yet they are still underrepresented in this field and their rights have been subdued. This paper aims at investigating the role of women in the fire service and identifying the potential barriers that hinder the progress of women in the male dominated culture. It was in early half of 19th century when US saw a Female Firefighter. Molly Williams, a slave from New York who became the first Female Firefighter in US was known to be “as good a fire laddie as many of the boys” (Fight the Fire, 2011). Molly Williams was followed by Marina Betts, who voluntarily entered this profession in Pittsburgh. Another Female Firefighter, Lillie Hitchcock was employed in the Knickerbocker Engine Company, No. 5. She offered her services as one of the earliest Female Firefighters in San Francisco for some years. Girton Ladies’ College of Britain maintained a fire brigade system meant only for women between 1878 and 1932. Many fire companies sprang in Maryland, Silver Spring and California in the 1910s. It was in 1936 that a Female Firefighter with the name Emma Vernell acquired the job in New Jersey. In order to make up for the men who had left the Fire services of Fire Department to join the military, many women were hired as Female Firefighters in the days of World War II both in UK and US. While the war was on, two fire departments based entirely on the female staff were made in Illinois. In California, the first all-female crew for firefighting in the forest was developed in 1942. In August, 1979, the first seminar occurred for the Female Firefighters. That was a time when there were no more than 300 Female Firefighters across the country. According to the US Census conducted in 1980, Female Firefighters accounted for a total of 1 per cent of the total. Ten years later, in 1990, this percentage rose to 3. Unfortunately, the percentage did not increase by a single number from 1990 to 2000. As of 2002, Female Firefighters account for no more than 2 per cent of the total number of firefighters in US (Crary, 2002). As of 2003, no more than 6100 women were into the firefighting profession in US of which, those who progressed above the Captain level were no even 300 in number (Women in the Fire Service, 2003). In 2003, there were 6 Female Firefighters in the Albany Fire Department, of which 2 had worked with the Albany Fire Department for more than 15 years and yet were at the same positions on which they were recruited. “Among the 291 metropolitan areas in the 2000 Census, 51.2% had no paid women firefighters in the entire metropolitan area, typically including multiple department” (Hullet et al., 2008, p. 1). One of the very few Fire services of Fire Department that employ Female Firefighters is the Dublin Fire Brigade. According to the information revealed in the Siptu firefighters conference in Killarney, number of Female Firefighters out of the total of 2000 full-time firefighters is no more than 27, most of whom are in Dublin with an additional 33 Female Firefighters serving part time (Lucey, 2005). This percentage is expected to increase in the future as a result of immense debate against the under-representation of women in the firefighting department that has stirred in the recent years. There are a lot of reasons that explain why women are under-represented in the firefighting work. One of them is the same old sexual harassment that women have been subjected to in all professions. In the contemporary age of popular culture and modernism, women are considered as sex symbols. The figure below is a very small evidence of the same: (Americas Female Firefighters, 2011). Everywhere in the literature and media, women are portrayed as lustful objects that are meant to satisfy the sexual cravings of men. Although this culture does not prevail in the organizations, yet male workers who are inspired by the media portrayal of women can not resist their temptation to sexually harass the female coworkers. Despite all the challenges they encounter, many women choose to be firefighters. Their experience so far can best be illustrated with the help of some quotes from Female Firefighters. Many Female Firefighters consider as if they are “always under a microscope” (Giard, 2003, p. 8). Sexual harassment of women in the firefighting is just as much an issue as it is in any other profession. According to Weiss (2001), the way an individual develops physically is decided at the time of birth. The gender marks the pattern of an individual’s whole life. This includes both internal feelings and emotions and the external response the individual gets from the society. Factor that matters most is the cultural programming of individuals despite the definite role of hormones in developing the gender identity. The biological differences between a girl’s and a boy’s body are not the only determining factor of the feminine and masculine attitudes respectively, though parts of human brains can be made more responsive by encouraging certain behaviors that are typical of their gender identity. Sanders (1996) said that the process of creation of the gendered identity commences right from the instant a baby is recognized as a male or a female. The societal, cultural and familial interactions experienced by the individuals are accorded with their gender identity. The emphasis society places on the differences between the two genders gives rise to two altogether different sets of beliefs and values for girls and boys with limited opportunities. “The sexism is subtle, and the bias very often is unconscious. Girls are rewarded for their conformity to classroom rules by simply being ignored, thus they pay a huge price for their compliance” (Giard, 2003, p. 11). According to Pettman (1977, p. 46), Title VII of the1964 Civil Rights Act strictly condemns unfairness in the form of biased promotions, undue use of resources, wages, fringe advantages, or retaining. In spite of that, there has been little decline in the discrimination and harassment that women have to face in any kind of non-traditional job. One Female Firefighter said, “[N]o matter what a female does in my department, it will never be right. The spotlight is always on. People are constantly looking for you to make a mistake … If you don’t make one, they’ll make one up for you” (Giard, 2003, p. 8-9). Firefighting is conventionally thought of as a profession which requires the workers to be physically strong, hard and bold at heart. All of these are qualities that are commonly associated with masculinity. Thus, firefighting apparently seems to be a profession meant for men whereby they can make best use of their exceptional physical strength and abilities. Despite all the law-making and debate on different forums for equality between the two genders, Female Firefighters hardly notice any change in their work in the firefighting than it was in the early 1970s when they were restricted to menial works because of underestimation of the capabilities of their gender. The challenges for Female Firefighters do not culminate once they are hired. Indeed, they commence right from the point of recruitment. Female Firefighters are denied authority, so they have to fight with themselves in order to sustain the job. It was 2001 when the Camden Fire Department hired Renee Muhammad and Jennifer Barrientos - its first female firefighters in 134 years. During her inaugural shift, Muhammad was called into a supervisors office. "Cut your hair or dont come back," she remembers him saying. Muhammad, now 44, couldnt believe it. "Ive got to worry about fighting a fire, and now I have to worry that if my hair isnt right, I wont.” (Saul, 2011). No matter how much effort a Female Firefighter may invest in her work, there is hardly any reward at the end of the day. Many Female Firefighters spend their whole life working in a firefighting department with the hope that they will be promoted sometime, but it never happens. Female Firefighters are denied positions with more responsibility because they are not considered suitable for them, physically or otherwise. One Female Firefighter said: Mine is a civil service department, still using only a written civil service test as the only criteria for promotion. I can tell you with all certainty that if any subjective form of measurement were used in the promotional process, the powers that be would have found a way around promoting me or any other female. In fact, when I was up for promotion to Captain, the administration went through abolishing a Captain’s position to try to insure that the department wouldn’t be “ruined” with a female in the mid-management ranks. After 17 years, and a few women passing through the department … I’m the only one still here. God knows why! (Giard, 2003, p. 9). 32 years old Anne Lumsden is among the only 23 Female Firefighters that have served in the Dublin Fire Brigade. It has been more than ten years since Lumsden has been offering her services as a Female Firefighter. Still, when people find her working on the streets, she can notice heads turning her way. They find it strange to see a Female Firefighter drive the engine. “A lot of people still don’t realize women can join the fire service” (Lumsden cited in Lucey, 2005). 31 years old Irene Wallace is the only Female Firefighter in Cork that has managed to continue her job for eleven years. According to her, plenty of women have applied for the job in Cork in these eleven years but hardly any of them was able to pass the extremely tough and stressful physical tests (Wallace cited in Lucey, 2005). 35 years old Maeve Carroll protests against the placement of pregnant Female Firefigters in clerical works. She is of the view that pregnancy should not be considered as an excuse for depriving the Female Firefighters of their main role of fire extinguishing. In the Dublin Fire Brigade, Female Fighters that become pregnant are escorted to the control room for performing the duty out of station. “When they took us on first day, they knew we were female. They should have had a policy in place. It shouldnt be up to the firefighters when pregnant to ask for policies” (Wallace cited in Lucey, 2005). Another Female Firefighter said, “I still have to find my comfort level, my boundary, being a woman, and being one of the guys. Its not a matter of fitting in, but its appreciating those similarities and those differences” (Huffpost Living, 2008). There are various ways to interpret the idea of diversity in the Fire services of Fire Department. Diversity can be considered in cultural, subcultural and individual terms. Cultural considerations of diversity include language, religion and nationality. Subcultural considerations of diversity include but are not limited to gender, age and community while the individual considerations of diversity encompass styles of learning and personality traits. “Perspectives regarding the impact of diversity in the fire service vary from causing adversity and ineffectiveness in the organization to providing a position of strength and success through collective intelligence” (McNeil, 2008). Irrespective of the individualistic perspective on diversity, diversity in the Fire services of Fire Department comes as a matter that stirs emotions. In order to spread gender equality and promote Female Firefighters, the leaders of fire service should acknowledge diversity and value it. To be successful in their roles, fire service leaders should try to estimate the behaviors and beliefs of individuals and agencies that differ from them in their opinions and should also try to assess the impact of the stakeholders’ beliefs on their personal effectiveness. All efforts should be directed at altering the negative behaviors for good. This can be achieved through increased exposure to and interaction with people of different origins and social and cultural backgrounds as well as through networking. It is important for the leaders to realize and utilize the contributions of people belonging to different cultures both from within the organization and outside it. This essentially requires them to serve as role models for their subordinates as well as for the stakeholders. Such an attitude of the leaders will not only improve their own attitudes but will also minimize ambiguities and underestimation regarding the abilities of women as firefighters. The next step after analyzing their own attitudes is assessment of the readiness of organization to meet the challenges brought about by diversity. Leaders can take the help of diversity training in order to meet the challenges. Some of the extremely useful techniques in the workshops of diversity are work groups, role playing, classroom demonstration, video presentations and problem analysis. Members can perceive the inter-cultural differences by making use of these techniques. Preparation and commitment of the organizational leaders and members to a diverse organization is less contentious and more preferable. Nevertheless, for a diverse department that struggles with such challenges can always commence the process of perceiving and acknowledging the significance of diversity. Leaders can hire and support a diverse team by helping out people from diverse backgrounds. This way, they can make best use of the talents obtained from diversity. It is the 21st century and recruiting Female Firefighters is still a challenge. Although there has been some increase in the number of Female Firefighters in the recent years, fire services of Fire Department in the US have primarily hired white males. The progress shown by Female Firefighters in attaining higher positions of the chief executive officer has been very slow in spite of the fact that affirmative action was taken in favor of women more than twenty years ago. Leaders of fire services should try to play their individual role in improving the conditions for women. They should assess and improve their own behavior in favor of women so that they may be able to inculcate the same respect for women in the hearts of their subordinates. A concerted effort is required to eradicate gender bias from the fire services. 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Retrieved from http://www.fireengineering.com/index/articles/display/59607/articles/fire-engineering/volume-150/issue-3/departments/one-minute-motivator/women-in-the-fire-service.html. Weiss, R. P. (2001, Jan.). Gender bias learning. Training & Development. 55(1): 42-48. Women in the Fire Service. (2003). Female firefighters: a status report. Retrieved from http://www.wfsi.org/status01.html. Read More