Studies Show that 85 Percent of Female Firefighters Experience Sexual Harassment

June 8, 2009

Unlike police forces, which have gradually come to accept women in the workplace, fire stations remain predominantly run by men. In a recent study, it was found that only 3.7 percent of the nation’s firefighters are women. This is most likely due to the sexual harassment that many women face in the firehouse.

Though it was found that as many as 85 percent of the women who work in fire departments experience sexual harassment, only 5 percent of the women ever report any incidents. This is because women do not want to be isolated from their rest of the fire crew. Also, many who report sexual harassment are threatened or further abused by their co-workers.

One woman, who reported an incident of sexual harassment claimed that she was kept out of the station’s union, was demoted and received limitations on her overtime. She says that despite the fact that she has been retired for three years, she continues to receive threats and abuse. She even kept a child’s doll that was placed in her turnout gear by a colleague some years ago- the neck of the doll had been slashed.