Do Women Sabotage Careers in Homeland Security?
Why are women in the minority in leadership positions in homeland security including professions such as law enforcement, fire, and emergency management? Are women their own worst enemies?
Jonna West explores these issues and states while great strides have been made, an average of only 20% of leadership positions in homeland security related professions are held by women. As a woman, I believe this does not reflect the success women in homeland security professions may achieve.
West conducted qualitative research in 2012 through personal interviews with 14 women who held, or previously held, top leadership positions in federal, state or local agencies with homeland security responsibilities. “Data gathered from these interviews shows that women are succeeding in homeland security leadership positions due to various factors including experience, education, the influence of strong mentors and role models, personality traits like tenacity and confidence, having vision, and their ability to overcome obstacles and barriers and take advantage of opportunities available to them.”
Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer, Sheryl Sandberg, writes about women in leadership in her bestselling book “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead” where she says women unintentionally hold themselves back in their careers by focusing on what they can’t do instead of what they can do. She encourages women to “sit at the table” and “lean in” while pursuing challenges and taking risks and not allow a lack of confidence to cause you to sit back.
I believe West and Sandberg would agree on what it takes for women to succeed in any profession, not just in the field of homeland security. But one factor that should not be underestimated is the need for women to choose fields in which they are able to demonstrate competence.
I recall when a large fire department tried to recruit me to be a firefighter years ago. I thought my stated fear of fire and my appreciation for my physical comfort and safety would be barriers to my success in this field so I had to ask: “Why me?” The response I got from a company of male firefighters was: “If we need to have more women on the job, we want one that doesn’t annoy us!”
Ouch! Why did women annoy them? I admit I did not ask because I did not want to open a can of worms. Regardless, I heard anecdotes about women in the department who did not pull their own weight, women who were hired simply because a female quota was needed but did not have the requisite skill set or fitness level to be firefighters and consequently risked the safety of others during a response. Then there was that female firefighter who nearly started a fire in the women’s locker room with an electrical appliance that she left on. (I never wondered why she transferred out.) I did not hear them describe women who demonstrated relevant competence for the job.
More recently, I observed a former female homeland security executive demonstrate great emotion while disagreeing with a male colleague. In a high-pitched voice she loudly bellowed to him “I have power!! I have power!!!” In my experience, people with power and the ability or authority to exert influence do not need to talk about how powerful they are. I never observed a woman appear weaker in the workplace. She left that position and her next job, also, and is currently looking for work. I believe Sandberg and West would agree this female executive’s issue was a lack of competence rather than confidence.
I agree with Sandberg in that women need to focus on what they CAN do rather than what they can’t, but let’s not forget that women also need to know and accept their limitations, and not pursue careers that are not a match for their skills. The fields that comprise the Homeland Security enterprise are not for everyone.
Ellen Gordon is one example of a successful woman with the requisite skill set for homeland security. She is the Associate Director of Executive Programs at the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security. Gordon was inducted into the 2014 International Women in Homeland Security and Emergency Management Hall of Fame for her trailblazing work that includes serving as the first female director of Iowa Emergency Management and Homeland Security as well as the first female president of the National Emergency Management Association.
I would like to talk to Gordon about her success, but from reading about her, my sense is she would cite competence among the factors that contributed to her accomplishments; as well as those West cited such as personality traits including tenacity and confidence, having vision, and the ability to overcome obstacles and barriers.
Do women sabotage careers in homeland security? In my opinion, NO! However, my female colleagues are superbly competent and are accepted by their male contemporaries. As with any profession, men and women both need to find careers that match their skills. Homeland Security is not a career for everyone.
