Laura Kavanagh's exit has fueled questions about the fire department's male-dominated environment and glaring gender inequality.
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Firefighting is a male-dominated field nationwide, but New York City’s gender gap is especially glaring. According to personnel data collected by the City Council, less than 2% of the FDNY’s roughly 11,000 firefighters are women, compared to 9% nationwide and more than 12% in cities like Miami and San Francisco. The first woman to lead the department, Laura Kavanagh, stepped down on Wednesday, after less than two years on the job.
Kavanagh, who Adams appointed as fire commissioner in October 2022, has not blamed her decision to leave on the FDNY’s male-dominated culture. But after she demoted a group of male fire chiefs, her tenure was marked by backlashFor Adams, the city’s second Black mayor, complaints of discrimination present a pressing political problem. The mayor has prided himself on appointing women, particularly women of color, in high-level positions. In 2021, the Vulcan Society endorsed Adams for mayor.
Srisakul was hired in 2005, but the alleged problems span decades. In 2022, Anita Daniel, a Black woman firefighter in Crown Heights,before the City Council that she had been harassed after having a miscarriage and slapped on the rear end by an FDNY captain, among other alleged offenses. Not all women firefighters said they have had rough experiences, suggesting that the culture of an individual firehouse can make a significant difference.
“I think tradition teaches a lot of things,” she added. “I think tradition also holds on to a lot of things that don't face external change well. We have to adapt to a changing city.”
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