Out of the frying pan, into the fire? Persistent gender barriers in Australian fire-fighting and challenges for HRM

Abstract

By directly accessing women's accounts of their active and ex-volunteer fire-fighting at the Australian Country Fire Authority (CFA), this paper seeks to understand women's experiences in fire-fighting. The study documents the voices of women in work where they are mostly conspicuous by their absence, thus contributing to the small body of empirical studies of women in fire-fighting. Findings confirm the underrepresentation of women and provide evidence of horizontal and vertical gender segregation. Women fire-fighters are significantly challenged and discriminated against by individual and organisational behaviours. Other findings of this study are the co-existence of hostile and positive job factors for women fire-fighters; and women's tolerance for complexity and paradox. These are scarcely documented in the literature on non-traditional occupations for women, and the paper suggests explanations based on concepts such as agency and coping strategies. Although women fire-fighters at the CFA had only a partial understanding of factors contributing to gender segregation, they voiced a desire and directions for organisational improvement to address gender issues.

Are fire services ‘extremely gendered’ organizations? Examining the Country Fire Authority (CFA) in Australia

“…This is reflected in the low rates of women's participation in the operational areas of rural fire agencies in Australia (Batty & Burchielli, 2011;Beaston & McLennan, 2005). This is reflected in the low rates of women's participation in the operational areas of rural fire agencies in Australia (Batty & Burchielli, 2011;Beaston & McLennan, 2005).…”

“…For instance, while there are no longer official policies banning women from operational or front-line roles in the CFA, the physical entrance requirements are quite prohibitive, and are often given as an explanation for the low rates of female operational staff and even lower rates of female career firefighters (Batty & Burchielli, 2011). For instance, while there are no longer official policies banning women from operational or front-line roles in the CFA, the physical entrance requirements are quite prohibitive, and are often given as an explanation for the low rates of female operational staff and even lower rates of female career firefighters (Batty & Burchielli, 2011).…”

“…Although the institution performs more diverse functions than physically fighting bushfires, this is still the primary image of the organization (Batty & Burchielli, 2011), and the firefighters in such imagery are almost exclusively men. Although the institution performs more diverse functions than physically fighting bushfires, this is still the primary image of the organization (Batty & Burchielli, 2011), and the firefighters in such imagery are almost exclusively men.…”

“…In some respects, the CFA represents an organization in flux, with aims of transformative change but, if it is an 'extremely gendered' organization, then there are many ways in which change will likely be difficult. Whilst other scholars have drawn attention to notions of masculinity, femininity and associated barriers within fire services (see Ainsworth et al, 2014;Batty & Burchielli, 2011), it is also vital to consider structural and cultural aspects of the CFA as an organization, and how these are related to gendered norms. We provide some detail in this important background to the CFA, as the history of the organization is rarely documented or recognized in current bushfire and emergency management literature (cf.…”

“…Moving to the present day, there has been stalled progress despite the incorporation of women into areas outside the auxiliaries, including in front-line firefighting. This is reflected in the low rates of women's participation in the operational areas of rural fire agencies in Australia (Batty & Burchielli, 2011;Beaston & McLennan, 2005). Women make up only 14 per cent of operational volunteers in the CFA and under 3 per cent of its paid (career) firefighters (CFA Annual Report, 2016).…”