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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/21/love-island-stereotype-of-male-firefighters-puts-women-off-job
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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Love Island stereotype of male firefighters 'puts women off job' | Love Island stereotype of male firefighters 'puts women off job' |
| (5 months later) | |
| Britain’s most senior firefighter has criticised Love Island for perpetuating sexist stereotypes about her colleagues that deter women from joining the fire brigade. | Britain’s most senior firefighter has criticised Love Island for perpetuating sexist stereotypes about her colleagues that deter women from joining the fire brigade. |
| Dany Cotton, the London fire brigade (LFB) commissioner, said the reality series and other media were perpetuating a misconception that all firefighters are musclebound men. | Dany Cotton, the London fire brigade (LFB) commissioner, said the reality series and other media were perpetuating a misconception that all firefighters are musclebound men. |
| She spoke as figures from a YouGov poll were released showing that 25% of women think men are more able than women to be a firefighter. | She spoke as figures from a YouGov poll were released showing that 25% of women think men are more able than women to be a firefighter. |
| Respondents were asked: “Do you think men are more able to do the job, women are more able to do the job, or are they both equally able?” | Respondents were asked: “Do you think men are more able to do the job, women are more able to do the job, or are they both equally able?” |
| In the same survey, just 7% of women thought men were more suited to the role of police officer. | In the same survey, just 7% of women thought men were more suited to the role of police officer. |
| Of just over 5,000 operational firefighters in the London Fire Brigade, there are around 300 women. | Of just over 5,000 operational firefighters in the London Fire Brigade, there are around 300 women. |
| Concerns that gender stereotyping is deterring potential female recruits have led the LFB to back proposals by the Advertising standards authority (ASA) to ban sexist adverts. | Concerns that gender stereotyping is deterring potential female recruits have led the LFB to back proposals by the Advertising standards authority (ASA) to ban sexist adverts. |
| Cotton has also written to 40 national and local news editors to ask them to stop using the term “fireman”, and to challenge sexist language – including one occasion where a newspaper referred to her as “he” in an article about sexist attitudes towards firefighters. | Cotton has also written to 40 national and local news editors to ask them to stop using the term “fireman”, and to challenge sexist language – including one occasion where a newspaper referred to her as “he” in an article about sexist attitudes towards firefighters. |
| “It was 30 years ago that people were shocked to see women police officers and it’s frankly embarrassing that the public are still shocked to see women firefighters today,” Cotton said. | “It was 30 years ago that people were shocked to see women police officers and it’s frankly embarrassing that the public are still shocked to see women firefighters today,” Cotton said. |
| “Now it’s time for advertisers, journalists and marketers to stop relying on lazy cliches and help change attitudes which will in turn encourage more women to embark on a wonderful and fulfilling career in the fire service.” | “Now it’s time for advertisers, journalists and marketers to stop relying on lazy cliches and help change attitudes which will in turn encourage more women to embark on a wonderful and fulfilling career in the fire service.” |
| Examples of sexist stereotypes cited in the brigade’s research include a Suzuki advert featuring Ant and Dec which mentioned “fireman training” and adverts for Harpic toilet cleaner, Müller yoghurts and Lynx deodorant which cast muscular white men in tight T-shirts as firefighters. | Examples of sexist stereotypes cited in the brigade’s research include a Suzuki advert featuring Ant and Dec which mentioned “fireman training” and adverts for Harpic toilet cleaner, Müller yoghurts and Lynx deodorant which cast muscular white men in tight T-shirts as firefighters. |
| Love Island’s “fireman challenge” involved male contestants stripping down and pretending to save a stuffed cat toy stuck in a tree, in a sexualised portrayal of the role. | Love Island’s “fireman challenge” involved male contestants stripping down and pretending to save a stuffed cat toy stuck in a tree, in a sexualised portrayal of the role. |
| Cotton said: “When popular shows like Love Island roll out every offensive cliche possible with their so-called ‘fireman challenge’, it reinforces the misconception that all firefighters are musclebound men. No wonder so many young women are put off by that.” | Cotton said: “When popular shows like Love Island roll out every offensive cliche possible with their so-called ‘fireman challenge’, it reinforces the misconception that all firefighters are musclebound men. No wonder so many young women are put off by that.” |
| YouGov’s poll, carried out in June 2017, surveyed 1,042 adults including 534 women. It also showed that over a quarter of Londoners think men are more able to be firefighters than women and that rises to nearly a third in the 18 to 24 age group. | YouGov’s poll, carried out in June 2017, surveyed 1,042 adults including 534 women. It also showed that over a quarter of Londoners think men are more able to be firefighters than women and that rises to nearly a third in the 18 to 24 age group. |
| Additional research by LFB into the factors deterring women from joining the brigade revealed concerns that fire and rescue is a “very masculine environment” and that “it’s a sexist field and quite male-dominated”. | Additional research by LFB into the factors deterring women from joining the brigade revealed concerns that fire and rescue is a “very masculine environment” and that “it’s a sexist field and quite male-dominated”. |
| One woman told researchers: “Growing up you would get some of the parents to come in [to school] and talk about what they do; mums never come in and talk about being a firefighter.” | One woman told researchers: “Growing up you would get some of the parents to come in [to school] and talk about what they do; mums never come in and talk about being a firefighter.” |
| The work is part of the LFB’s #Firefightingsexism campaign, which aims to break down the sexist stereotypes that still surround the fire and rescue industry. | The work is part of the LFB’s #Firefightingsexism campaign, which aims to break down the sexist stereotypes that still surround the fire and rescue industry. |
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