Washington, June 28 (ANI): The media often associates the firefighting profession with macho men in heroic roles.
But to say that the men in the profession make efforts to maintain and take advantage of the 'male ideal' is a gross simplification, according to Mathias Ericson, the author of a doctoral thesis based on interviews and observations from several different fire stations.
"The men I met stressed that they are not particularly masculine. They pointed out that they were doing just fine without big muscles and that those types of expectations are just silly," he said.
"At the same time, however, they feel that the macho image sometimes is a useful tool to gain the confidence of the public."
Ericson describes how the studied men distance themselves from the link between their profession and masculinity. Yet they see it as important that the group consists of men only.
'Working with only men gives them a sense of togetherness and a chance to socialise in a down-to-earth sort of way."
"They feel that the presence of females in the workplace would keep them from being as close to each other,' he added.
Ericson found that life at the fire station was safe, but also fragile and demanding.
Moreover, he found that, not just any man seems to be able to fit in - practically oriented men and men who enjoy the raw jargon often have an advantage in this respect. (ANI)
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