Sex Discrimination In Firefighters

Women’s right has been a problem throughout the nineteen century. Women generally have had fewer legal rights and career opportunities than men. Wifehood and motherhood were women's most significant professions, in the 19th century; however, women won the right to vote and increased their educational and job opportunities. Women were long considered naturally weaker than men. Prior to the American Revolution the women were viewed as weak and unable to perform hard work. Also, women place were the house, take care their children, clean the house, organized the house, cook, and take care animals. During the American Revolution many women faced a lot problems because they

Women have fought throughout history in order to achieve different roles as well as to acquire recognition, independence, equality and respect. It has not been easy since they have had many barriers to overcome; their role in the family as wives, mothers and daughters; their role in society fighting for their rights, being heard and treated as men; their role as career women, not only receiving an education but also being able to work.

Among police, there are stark differences between male and female officers. Cara E. Rabe-Hemp researched these sex differences by conducting a series of interviews with policewomen. These interviews reveal how policewomen cope with the seemingly impossible task to find a balance between feminine values that they were raised to uphold and masculine values that their male-dominated field demands. According to the individual perspective, employees’ performance is more shaped by their unique personal experiences as opposed to standardized formal training (Britt 185). Since neither police officers’ formal training nor their subculture reduce or eliminate the differences between policemen and policewomen, sex differences have a much more significant

Many social changes have occurred over time that have allowed women to gain the same rights that men have had for many years. The Industrial Revolution in the late 18th and early 19th centuries changed the work

Another demographic change we are seeing in the labor force today are changes in the men to women ratio. According to the United States Department of Labor, in 1970 women only made around 37% of the working population, leaving men to make up the additional 63% (Women in the Labor Force, 2012). By 2012, women accounted for 47% of the total working population. Although this may not seem like a large increase from 1970, women did account for more than half of all laborers within several of the industry sectors including; financial activities (53%), education and health services (75%), leisure and hospitality (51%), and other services (52%). However, when looking at jobs in the agricultural, construction, mining, manufacturing, and transportation and utilities fields, women are still significantly underrepresented. Over the years we have seen not only the percentage of women in the labor force grow, but the large pay gap between men and women has slowly began to close. As of 2012, women with full time jobs

Women have virtually the same rights as men. However, the fault needing to be recognized in today’s society is the way that women are treated. Even in simple areas, such as jobs, women are put on the back burner. A woman is able to become a CEO of a company, nonetheless, she will struggle twice as hard as a man would. Even as an employee, women are statistically paid less than men are.

First of all, women changed history by proving how important they were throughout the First and Second World War. Women took over men’s jobs when they went off to fight, along with taking care of everything at home and volunteering how ever they could to the war efforts. It’s safe to say that the majority of the women back home worked equally as hard as the men, all the while they were being paid only portions of what the men made for doing the same amount of work. Women took over the factories, shipyards and munitions plants. During the Second World War they also joined groups such as the Canadian Women’s Army Corps and the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service. It gave them the opportunity to prove themselves in a male-dominated society. Women were seen for more than their domestic abilities during this time. Dolefully, once both wars ended, women had to give up their hard earned jobs. Eventually the government realized how useful women were in the workforce and they began to be treated as equals. Although women were beginning to receive more rights and freedoms, there was still the issue of unequal pay. Up until the 1950’s the average working women only made 60% of a man’s wages. The International Labour Organization passed Convention 100 which called for “equal pay for equal work”. Even with this act in place, women had trouble being accepted in the workforce. Women struggled with

Since the enactment of the nineteenth amendment, which granted women suffrage during the late 1920s, a woman’s role in society has drastically changed. Perhaps the most drastic shift occurred during World War II when women successfully integrated into the workforce after most of the nation’s men left for war. Fast forward to the 21st century and women are seen in almost any career previously deemed as a man’s job from an engineer, mayor, chief executive officer, and so much more. At the surface, it seems as if the United States has achieved complete gender equality, but that could not be further from the truth. Women certainly have the same opportunities as men in this country, but we do not have the same resources.

Throughout history, women have been viewed differently from men. In the 1880’s and before, women were in charge of making a happy home, her job above all was to make sure her husband was happy. Around, the 1910’s women began fighting for their right to vote and to be viewed as an equal to the janitor that works for them. Still, to this day, women and girls are fighting to be viewed as an equal and respected as men and boys are in our society.

Even in today's world of political correctness, there is still a very large gender bias when it comes to certain things, such as Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The number of men in the field is much higher than the number of women. Women, for the most part, are looked at as not being as capable of performing what is required of an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or a Paramedic as men are. EMTs and Paramedics are required to make split second, possibly life saving decisions, lift large amounts of weight, and work long hours in all conditions. Since most women are physically smaller than most men are, they are viewed as not being strong enough to lift patients or equipment in many situations.

The City of Lakewood is receiving complaints from individuals that have endured their fire fighter recruitment assessment; a rigorous training procedure. Complaints indicate that the federally approved and city adopted method of training fire fighters is “unfairly” administered and potentially bias in its development. Complaints are gender in nature and includes the scrutiny of firefighter safety, individual physical strength requirements, and essential cognitive functioning’s. Although the City of Lakewood’s firefighter testing requirements are stringent, it is vital to the safety of individuals and communities in all jurisdictions.

Our society has the belief that women have always been portrayed as weak, emotional, and powerless. Throughout this article by Tavia Grant, it shows how women do not get the same opportunities men receive. Statistically shown, women are still earning less money than men regardless to the amount of education they possess (Grant). Women are accepted to hold obligations regarding family tasks while the men do the providing in the family. The article shows the disadvantages women have in Canada compared to men, however, it also shows gender inequality and gender discrimination.

Women everywhere in our culture were having similar experiences of unfair treatment because of being female, so they banded together to improve their social and professional status. Women created several support systems for each other, because they knew that the only way to bring about change was in numbers. The League of Women Voters set a precedent over 50 years ago as a successful organization made to ensure women the same voting rights as men. There are now such

A big topic in the duties of firefighting is why there are more men than women firefighting. Numerous people would think that a woman can’t do the entire cautionary details that it takes to become one. Here is what a woman by the name of Charlotte Whitton has to say about these rumors, “Whatever woman do they must do twice as well as men to be half as good, luckily this is not difficult” (Winters). One explanation to this outbreak is there are many laws protecting women, children, age, minorities, and religious beliefs that many firefighters break everyday that they are on the job. Many women have to endure a workplace that is well suited for male- dominated firehouses unlike that of the 1940’s than of the 21st century. One of the only setbacks for women to worry about when trying to become a firefighter is the physical ability test. Why you might ask, well most women aren’t as strong in the upper body as men usually are, that is not to say that women could weight lift to increase her chances of succeeding. Part of the time that female are at a fire station they get sexually harassed by the male firemen. There have been cases of men hiding video cameras in small place to video tape these ladies and show it to the whole fire house, but in these

The greatest threat facing the Modern Fire Service is the rate at which firefighters are dying in the line of duty. Excluding the terrible event of 9/11 that occurred in 2001 that forever changed the dynamics of the emergency response services1, firefighter deaths have averaged around 100 fatalities each year for the since 1990. This unacceptable rate of firefighter deaths has found its way to be a benchmark in the industry. The problem is that the benchmark should be zero firefighter deaths while on duty and every year that there is a fatality is a year that the fire service has failed its members. The number one cause of firefighter related deaths yearly is proven to be medical, stress, or overexertion related fatalities2. All of these causes of firefighter deaths can be avoided with implementation of training and awareness.