Gender in Portuguese Firefighters: The Experiences and Strategies of Women

Beatriz Gomes Lopes, António Manuel Marques and Maria Helena Santos ()
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Beatriz Gomes Lopes: Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (Iscte-IUL), 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal
António Manuel Marques: Escola Superior de Saúde do Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, 2910-76 Setúbal, Portugal
Maria Helena Santos: CIS-Iscte, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (Iscte-IUL), 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal

Social Sciences, 2024, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-22

Abstract: This study sets out to analyze the negative effects of tokenism among a group of Portuguese female firefighters alongside the strategies they adopt to integrate into a male majority professional context and inherently associated with masculinity. Individual semi-structured interviews were carried out with nine men and nine women before their content was subject to thematic analysis. The results confirm how, in the context of the work performed by firefighters, there is a clear differentiation between the genders, with women both being more visible and leading to conformity to depicting stereotypical femininity. In order to fit in, female firefighters attempt to replicate the attitudes of their male colleagues, demonstrate high standards of performance, and tone down any expression of perceivably feminine characteristics.

Keywords: firefighters; tokenism; gender relations; Portuguese women (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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