Democracy Dies in Darkness

Reports show bias against women in public safety agencies; men oblivious

Perspective by
Columnist
June 29, 2018 at 7:00 a.m. EDT
FBI agents work the scene of an attack on the Armed Forces Career Center in Chattanooga, Tenn., on July 16, 2015. (Tami Chappell/Reuters)

Two new reports show how hard it is for women to shoot through Uncle Sam’s glass ceiling, even when they carry guns.

Studies by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Justice Department’s inspector general demonstrate that in federal public safety and law enforcement occupations, it’s still a man’s world — and men can be oblivious to the barriers they erect for women.