Professional activity is one of the critical components of human life, due to which one develops as an individual, obtaining material and psychological means for existence. For many centuries, gender indicators significantly influenced career choices. Women had to demonstrate their strength, endurance, and courage in order to prove that they had the right to work with men on an equal footing. Nowadays, almost everyone can choose any occupation, and the boundaries between traditionally male and female jobs are becoming increasingly transparent. A firefighter is a profession that has long been considered masculine, but numerous female fire brigades are emerging in recent years, and it is evident from their activities that the work has no gender.
Until the beginning of the twentieth century, firefighting was considered an exclusively male occupation that mandated stamina and strength. Most European countries began to accept women into fire divisions relatively recently. For example, in Austria, the first brigade was formed in 1912, and in advanced Norway, not a single case of a woman putting out fires was documented until the 1980s (Bishu & Headley, 2020). The first female firefighter was an African American slave girl, Molly Williams. She belonged to a New York City merchant named Benjamin Aymar, a family business owner who worked as a volunteer firefighter for the Oceanus Department.
Nowadays, it seems incredible that prosperous men want to go out to work for which they will not receive a paycheck. However, it was commonplace in the United States in the 19th century. When one had something to lose, and any warehouse one had, along with the goods, could burn to the ground in a matter of minutes, the motivation was obvious. It is unclear why Aymar took his slave with him to work. Still, the central point is that Molly quickly learned to handle the machinery, and she was considered a professional fireman as the rest of the boys.
Molly had a chance to prove her proficiency on one of the winter days when the whole brigade caught a horrible cold. There was a blizzard outside the window, but the fire did not pick its time. Molly was the only one in a position to answer the call, and she did her duty – in a chintz dress and apron, for she had no other clothes (Bishu & Headley, 2020). After her debut, Molly was inducted into the fire brigade and called Volunteer 11.
Numerous names of women who have tried to prove that firefighting is not a man’s profession have been erased by history, but a few have survived. For example, Lillie Hitchcock Coyt, patroness, and mascot of the Knickerbocker Volunteer Fire Department, was fascinated with firefighting from a young age. According to one of the versions, in 1858, when she was fifteen years old, she heard a fire alarm and rushed to the aid of the brigade (Bishu & Headley, 2020). Since then, Lillie accompanied firefighters everywhere: on calls, on parades, and at banquets.
Her example demonstrated and inspired other women to choose the profession they desired without fear of danger or judgment. Later the first females’ fire brigades at educational institutions and factories began to appear – one of the first was the division of Girton College in Great Britain, founded in 1878 (Danbold & Bendersky, 2020). Still, it was not until World War II that women began to infiltrate the job. The first lady officially hired as a firefighter in the United States was Sandra Forcier in 1973 (Danbold & Bendersky, 2020). Nowadays, more and more women have begun their careers as firefighters, and they are rescuing people and objects from fire effectively.
As stated ahead, World War II was a phenomenon that primarily influenced women to become firefighters. In the first days of the Great Patriotic War, the government called upon females to replace their husbands and sons who had gone to the front. They joined the fire departments and made a significant contribution to protecting settlements from enemy shelling (Danbold & Bendersky, 2020). On duty to guard homes, working during air raids by German aircraft as firefighters, women prevented many fires, saved many people’s lives, and ensured the smooth operation of businesses.
Furthermore, the second wave of feminism and the equal employment opportunity movement led to official barriers for women having been removed since the 1970s. The persistent stereotypes about the prohibition of dangerous professions for women are an example that people have received a decreed idea of a female and a male since childhood. The list of restricted occupations reflects persistent stereotypes about the roles and responsibilities of women and men in the family and society, which perpetuate traditional views of females as wives and mothers. It undermines her social status and educational and career prospects. The equal rights movement aimed to comprehend that everyone should have the possibility to develop in a field that brings pleasure (Danbold & Bendersky, 2020). Moreover, the state should oblige employers to improve the workplace and make it safe for all workers; otherwise, men are also vulnerable and put their lives at risk.
Therefore, it can be concluded that in modern society, both women and men can work as firefighters and protect the population and their property on an equal footing. Even though this profession was considered masculine, many movements for equal rights and the second wave of feminism have contributed to significant transformations. Moreover, the first women firefighters made a considerable contribution, proving that there are no genuinely male careers. Everyone should have freedom of choice, and gender stereotypes should not exist.
References
Bishu, S. G., & Headley, A. M. (2020). Equal employment opportunity: Women bureaucrats in male‐dominated professions. Public Administration Review, 80(6), 1063-1074. Web.
Danbold, F., & Bendersky, C. (2020). Balancing professional prototypes increases the valuation of women in male-dominated professions. Organization Science, 31(1), 119-140. Web.