When it comes to women in the workforce, there are some fields that are dominated by women and then there are fields where you'd be hard pressed to spot a woman anywhere.
Take nursing, according to Minority Nurse, about 90% of register nurses are female. Whereas, when it comes to police women only make up about 12.7% of the force, according to Police Chief Magazine.
The numbers of female firefighters is even smaller. About only 4% of firefighters are female, according to UPI.
That means the women at West Newbury Fire Department in Chicago are making true history! These five women – Alyssa Bosch, Lisa Evans, Jennifer Hicks, Courtney Panaro and Megan Shea – are the first all-female class of firefighters the department has seen.
Before the ladies had joined the department that is now 32 members strong, they had about 10% females on board. These ladies double that number now!
It is always incredible to see women breaking down barriers and proving that they can also do what a man can when given the chance. I hope these ladies inspire more women and that tiny percent of 4 makes it into the double digits soon!
If you loved this story, you will also enjoy this fire department surprising the kindhearted chef that has cooked for them for 15 years.
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