Does gender bias and glass ceiling limitations still exist in Fire and Research Paper

Does gender bias and glass ceiling limitations still exist in Fire and Police departments - Research Paper Example In the political realm, the term ‘glass ceiling’ was coined to describe the invisible barriers that prevented women from achieving their goals in the workplace and from attaining senior positions. In the United States fire and police departments, the glass was evident in the past, a factor that associated the departments with men only (Kornblut, 2011). However, the 21st century had brought about multiple changes that have promoted equality in the workplace, allowing women to rise to top leadership positions and venture into careers reserved for men previously. This research paper will investigate whether women still face barriers associated with gender in the fire and police departments. Introduction In order to determine whether women in the police and fire and police departments have broken the glass ceiling, this research will focus on analyzing the existing primary and secondary sources that describe the level of gender bias in the two departments. The extensive lite rature review will adopt a case study format regarding the fire department. The special focus on the Florida and Kenosha fire departments will provide a reflection of the effect of the glass ceiling and its extent in the recent past. The case studies will analyze the findings of primary researches on the issue. Concerning the police department, an extensive literature review will help in analyzing whether gender bias is still in existence. All the sources for use in this research will be subject to a critical appraisal to determine their reliability. The appraisal of the sources will consider the methodologies used, the target populations, and the analysis of the findings. Only the most appropriate sources will be used in this research. The search terms will include the ‘glass ceiling ’,‘ gender biases, police, and fire departments’ Only recent articles will be considered as reliable sources for this research seeks to analyze the extent of the problem accor ding to the most current sources. Research Does Gender Bias Exist in the Fire Department: Case studies of Florida and Kenosha Fire Departments The fire department remained a masculine profession for many years, with only white men pursuing careers in this profession. All through the 1800s, the field exhibited only male, white recruits (Bureau of National Affairs, 2002). Only in the 1920s did the department recruit black males. There is an existing complexity between gender and race, and this highlight of the time taken in the department to include men serves to reflect the resistance that existed towards recruiting women (Denis, 2003). After recruiting black males into the fire department, a half a century lapsed before the department hired the first females in the 1970-1980s. The hiring of the initial lot of black women served as a platform for women gaining entry into the male dominated field. This was considered as the first step towards breaking the existing glass ceiling that h as barred women from venturing into this career. Evidently, in the 1990s, experts thought that it was time for the complete breaking of the glass ceiling because thousands of women secured places in the fire department (Weaver, 2006). It is worth noting that the Los Angeles fire department has an outstanding history of having hired the first black in male 1892, indicating its willingness to embrace racial diversity. The effect of the glass ceil