Kvinnor som brandmän : En studie om jämställdhet på Gästrike Räddningstjänst

Sammanfattning: Aim: Preferential treatment and allocation of quotes according to sex are two current concepts due to the increasing demand for equality. One organization that may use preferential treatment is the fire department. This is why we chose it as a starting point for our study. The aim with this essay is to investigate how Gästrike Räddningstjänst can create a more equal organization. Method: We have interviewed eight employees and prepared questions for each one. This represents a qualitative method. We have studied literature on the subject to get a theoretical background before the interviews. After the study we analysed the interviews with help from the theory. And finally we drew conclusions from this analysis. This resulted in suggestions that could help Gästrike Räddningstjänst create a more equal organization. Result & Conclusions: Equality between the sexes is important but at the same time it is important that the employed women have the right qualities. Measures should be taken to draw women to the profession in order to create a wider selection. One measure that could give a wider selection is positive special treatment. It is important to think about the employees while making a change so that negative attitudes do not affect the process to make the profession more equal. Based on theory we can see that it is important to communicate the aim of the change to reduce resistance from the employees. Change has to be allowed to take time since the organizational culture is strong and has existed for a long time. Due to the strong culture it is necessary to focus on measures that will create a strong but adaptable culture. Management should continually evaluate the process of change to discover possible problems and to highlight progress. Employees can also take part in the evaluation. Suggestions for future research: It would be interesting to compare different fire departments in Sweden considering their work with equality between sexes. It would also be interesting to observe the process of recruitment more closely. Contribution of the thesis: Our hope is that this essay helps to increase awareness in the important issue of equality.