Adrianne Walsh is a female firefighter with the NYFD. She has many credentials and is very qualified to be where she is today. She was with the fire department through the attacks of September 11 and has dedicated her services to the city. However, despite all of the time she has given and things she has done she still faces much prejudice within the department.
Recently she was transferred to one of the highest regarded stations in the city. The transfer was what she had wanted for a long time, and finally had accomplished another thing that she had been striving for. However, when she arrived to work for the station she was ostracized. Her fellow firefighters treated with no respect as they felt they did not need women around them when they went to work. The men on her shift did not feel safe having her there as they said she was “inadequate” to perform her duties. They prejudice got bad enough to the point that Walsh ended up putting in for a transfer out of that station within a very short time.
It is issues like these that are still occurring that still show the distance that the fire fighting profession still needs to go. These issues of women and the workplace should not be happening like this. She is a qualified person for the job and so she should be able to do so. Not only is it bad that this station is ostracizing her in this way, but the department is not doing anything to control this and be at her side. These are the exact issues as to why I am writing about this topic as these occurrences need to cease for the betterment of the profession.
The Link to this story is http://cms.firehouse.com/web/online/News/Slow-Progress--Dismaying-Setbacks-as-Women-Try-to-Expand-Foothold-in-Firefighting-Ranks-/46$42177
5 comments:
Andrew it is obvious that these acts of sexism and prejudice still occur in professions that are primarily male dominated. There is not much that can be done to speed up the process of eliminating prejudice in work places where trust in your fellow cow workers goes hand in hand with life or death. It is terrible that the men in this story made her feel so uncomfortable, unwanted and untrustworthy that she had to transfer right away. However it makes me wonder if she stayed long enough to gain the respect and trust of her coworkers as she had at the other stations she was previously stationed? As wrong as the prejudice she experienced is, it is also still very relevant in jobs such as this today. As I know you are going into the fire fighting profession after you graduate, i would be very interested to hear about what you think about working with a woman in an extremely physically demanding and life threatening situation such as fighting a fire? i would really be interested to hearing your response. i look forward to hearing from you.
I feel that more women should be in the fire service too. Although, I will say that I feel that they must meet the same standards that men must meet. I currently am a Pullman Fire Reserve Firefighter and I know that as a firefighter it is a physically demanding job. Although I do know some women can effectively accomplish these physical duties, sadly most cannot. This is a good article and an awesome topic good work
Sexism and prejudice to occur quite often in fields such as fire departments, and the police force. During your presentation I learned that women do not get different bathrooms or sleeping areas. These should be separate for male and females because that is more respectful for women to be separated then put them in with men. Some might find the idea of separating them to be sexism and prejudice toward women making them be separated. In cases like this, there is almost no getting it right. However sexual harassment issues are not acceptable. My aunt is a fire fighter in Connecticut, and although she has never experienced harassment, she has told me about cases where other women in her department have experienced sexual harassment in the work place. Unfortunately sexual harassment, sexism, and prejudice is nothing new in fire departments, police, and military. However new rules and regulations should be passes that protect womens rights who are just trying to do there job.
I personally was unaware that this sexism still went on in proffessions today. But I feel that women should not be descriminated and deserve the same chance as men to prove themselves in any job that includes the fire departments.
Does any NYFD woman remember the chaplain Fr. Julian Deeken? Did he hit on you?
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