| This study examines the perceptions and experiences of women working in local emergency management agencies through the frame of representative bureaucracy utilizing a nation-wide survey. The two research objectives are (1) to understand the degree to which female emergency managers perceive themselves as representing the needs of women facing disasters and (2) to explore the opportunities and barriers that female emergency managers encounter as employees of local emergency management agencies. Variables include employee discretion, minority role representation, work/life balance, career progression, and workplace harassment. The research confirms that the professionalization of emergency management has given women more of an opportunity to gain entree, though not in ways equal to their male peers. For example, there is a division of labor between operational versus support positions. Additionally, the study contributes new data on discretion and minority role representation, adding emergency management to the literature on public agencies and representative bureaucracy. Finally, the organizational barriers that contribute to limited career progression and the pervasiveness of harassment in local emergency management agencies are highlighted. Future researchers should consider conducting comparative studies (e.g., for other levels of government), as well as qualitative studies to clarify and elaborate on the results found. |
