Introduction
Gender issues play a significant role in the workplace in general and in employment settings where one gender is inherently dominating over another. Such a situation is observed in the field of firefighting, where women comprise a significantly smaller group of individuals in a male-dominant environment. The implications of such disproportionate representation might adversely impact women in firefighting services due to the exposure to harassment, discrimination, and bias in responsibilities and payment. For that matter, this paper is aimed at exploring the manifestations of women’s experiences in the firefighting workplace, identifying potential long-term risks associated with such experiences, and proposing possible solutions.
Discussion
Firefighting is a stressful and psychologically intense workplace characterized by disproportionate exposure of workers to trauma. Indeed, research shows that “firefighting was named 2017’s 2nd most stressful job in the U.S. following the enlisted military personnel” (Isaak & Buchanan, 2021, p. 350). That is why the exposure to occupational stress and continuous risks of acquiring post-traumatic stress disorder that needs treatment makes firefighters of all genders a vulnerable population. However, the intersectionality of gender issues and occupational stress contributes to female firefighters’ even higher level of vulnerability.
Gender discrimination is a prevalent experience for women in the male-dominant workplace and in firefighting services specifically. Research demonstrates that women firefighters report frequent experiences of being excluded from the workplace culture in their employment sites (Jahnke et al., 2019). Specifically, they report “being provided insufficient instruction and support, being micromanaged, and feeling hostility from their colleagues about their presence in the fire service” (Jahnke et al., 2019, p. 2). Such a biased attitude implies significant negative impacts on women’s well-being, which is added to the overall high level of stress implied in the profession. Indeed, according to Jahnke et al. (2019), gender discrimination adversely affects female workers’ mental state, physical health, and performance in the workplace. Within the experiences of discrimination, sexual harassment is one of the recurring issues.
In particular, female workers in a male-dominant jobs are disproportionately exposed to gender harassment. It is a sexual harassment type that “involves verbal and nonverbal behaviors that denigrate individuals or groups based on their sex/gender or via their sexualization or sexual objectification, which can create a hostile work environment” (Raj et al., 2020, p. 280). In the field of firefighting services, women are disproportionately exposed to sexual harassment in particular and sexual harassment in general. This claim is supported by evidence from a study that found that 22% of female firefighters have experienced sexual harassment (Raj et al., 2020). Moreover, the researchers claim that such a negative trend is observed across make-dominant professions, with women’s exposure to harassment estimated at 42% and men’s exposure being significantly lower and reaching 15% (Raj et al., 2020). Therefore, female firefighters are disproportionately exposed to the risks of being victims of harassment in the male-dominant workplace setting.
Conclusion
Conclusively, the work of a woman in a male-dominant job setting like firefighting is characterized by disproportionate exposure to gender discrimination and harassment. The negative implications on health and performance are exacerbated by the stress and risks associated with the work of firefighters, which traumatizes and stigmatizes all actors in this field. The exclusion of women from the firefighting workplace culture based on their minority status jeopardizes the opportunity for achieving gender equity. For that matter, more policies should be put in place to promote women’s representation in the male-dominant profession. Their higher level of presence will lead to the elimination of negative experiences. Furthermore, it is essential to improve psychological support and cultivate peer support in firefighting services to normalize mental health help among the vulnerable population of traumatized female firefighters.
References
Isaac, G. M., & Buchanan, M. J. (2021). Extinguishing stigma among firefighters: An examination of stress, social support, and help-seeking attitudes. Psychology, 12(03), 349-373. Web.
Jahnke, S. A., Haddock, C. K., Jitnarin, N., Kaipust, C. M., Hollerbach, B. S., & Poston, W. S. (2019). The prevalence and health impacts of frequent work discrimination and harassment among women firefighters in the US fire service. BioMed Research International, 2019, 1-14. Web.
Raj, A., Johns, N. E., & Jose, R. (2020). Gender parity at work and its association with workplace sexual harassment. Workplace Health & Safety, 68(6), 279-292. Web.