Women Working in a Man’s World
She can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, take care of the family and do everything a man can. So why in this day and age are women still experiencing gender biases in the workforce? If you take a closer view at the roles men and women are playing in the workforce, you will see that men tend to be one step above women. Despite legislation, women are experiencing harassment and discrimination in their chosen careers in non-traditional employment. At last the Suzy Homemaker stereotype should be put to bed. Over the past five decades societal issues (war, market crashes, rising cost of living, etc.) have skirted more and more of women into the job market. Law enforcement and firefighting occupations are just two examples of fields that are seeking a rise in female workers. Both can be risky and challenging for any man or woman. The women that are working in these fields are fewer in number, compared to men, due to sexual harassment, discriminatory promotional practices and a slew of other issues that society places upon them. Sometimes to be woman in a man’s world means adapting and discovering your strengths. But where does this elemental idea that gender determines the effectiveness of performing job roles come from? Focusing on the law enforcement and firefighting field, we can take a closer look at how sexist ideas and perceptions weigh in on female workers.
For many years law enforcement has been considered a ‘man’s job’, but women have been on patrol for as many as three decades now. Yet to this day policemen still harbor negative views towards their female colleagues as being too emotional, not showing enough strength, and not being able to command the respect of citizens. As stated previously, gender does not determine effectiveness. If an individual takes pride and loves what they do, occupational or otherwise, it reflects in their performance. That alone determines effectiveness, not gender. Not all women are capable of handling all of the duties of being a law enforcement officer, but news flash neither are all men. Each gender contributes something to the table that when combined makes a complete picture.
There are some that will argue the point that females are too emotional and that aspect hinders them from being able to deal with dog on dog environment of patrolling the streets. Close minded thinking, such as this, puts aggression and physical strength as the two main characteristics for being successful in law enforcement. Officers cannot enter every situation with aggression and flaunt their might because not all situations require that. Community members would prefer a female officer to report to a dangerous situation simply because they show more empathy and interact in a way that is caring. Communication with a victim rather than using physical force can change the atmosphere from a level nine to level five. Being able to gauge the emotional atmosphere and adapting doesn’t make a female ineffective at her job but the most