Discrimination Of Women: Alice Wells: The First Women

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There is actually controversy over whether Alice Wells was actually the first women. There are two other people that are argued to have been hired first, Marie Owens who was hired in 1891 in Chicago, and Lola Baldwin who was hired in 1908 in Portland Oregon (WYSK). Even though there dates of being sworn in are earlier than Alice’s there is a catch to both of their jobs. Alice was named the first women with arrest powers, Marie Owens in fact did not have arrest powers, and Lola Baldwin’s job was crime prevention rather than actually law enforcement. She did not have a gun, uniform, or even an office in the police department (WYSK). Furthermore these women were indeed hired before Well’s they are often looked at as not really a police officer. …show more content…

Men have testosterone that helps them to build more muscle and to grow bigger, where women are more petite in their body mass index. With this being said women struggle with the biased entry tests that departments have. Although over the years there have been laws and regulations set to outlaw some of the discrimination. They often put a big emphasis on upper body, and strength, sometimes even changing the scores that women get to make them look worse than they really are. Before the 1970’s they would use discriminatory height requirements to keep women out (Harrington). Strength is used a measurement of a women’s ability but women have been able to use their feminine side to actually change law enforcement models of …show more content…

Currently there are women directing seven major institutions in the federal and local government: the drug enforcement administration, secret service of D.C Metropolitan P.D, U.S Park Service, FBI’s Washington field office, U.S Marshals service and Amtrak P.D, and the Far-Flung agency (Johnson). Ground breaking events have happened in 2015 within the Secret Service and the Washington FBI’s field office two women, Julia Pierson and Valerie Parlave were appointed, making them the first women to direct these two institutions. Three other women heading agencies in Washington are Michele Leonhart, at the Drug Enforcement Agency; Stacia Hylton, the U.S Marshals Service; and Teresa Chambers, U.S. Park Police (Johnson). The hiring of these women are monumental, these women can stand as proof that sex has nothing to do with your ability to be in law

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