Secret Service prostitute scandal highlights lack of women in agency

Secret Service prostitute scandal highlights lack of women in agency

usnews.msnbc.msn. com

Secret Service agents are often portrayed in popular culture as disciplined, unflappable, loyal — and male. A spiraling prostitution scandal that has highlighted the dearth of women in the agency that protects the president and dignitaries has many wondering: Would more females in the ranks prevent future dishonor?

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Would having more women agents help or hinder Secret Service efforts? There is a "good old boy" type of brotherhood in some government agencies, and it would appear the Secret Service is no different.

Some former agents acknowledge a close-knit atmosphere where employees travel, dine and socialize together — sometimes in the form of so-called "wheels up" parties held in foreign countries after the departure of a president or other person under protection. But they say the prostitution scandal does not represent a cultural problem or reflect a broader disdain for women.

Cavorting with prostitutes on the job isn't all that different from holding a business meeting in a topless joint: Both are hyper-sexualized activities that some men may condone but are bound to make women uncomfortable, said Donna Milgram, executive director of the National Institute for Women in Trades, Technology and Science.

There are women agents in the Secret Service, about 10%. They mix right in with the guys. They have to, they have to prove themselves.

New recruits were expected to prove themselves.

"We wanted to look at them — see what kind of shape they were in, how they fit, what their manner was. That goes on — and it should," said Petro, who after Vietnam spent 23 years with the agency as an agent and manager, helping protect Reagan.

Some women had it tough in the early years, he recalled, bumping up against "hard-headed" men who had never worked with women. But some found niches through special skills, like horseback riding...

One might argue that it is a man's world and being an agent can get rough, but are the after hours where it routinely gets the most rough and tumble? Maybe that part could stand for a facial treatment.

Other incidents over the past 15 years haven't helped the Secret Service come off as welcoming to women. Emails filed as part of a race discrimination lawsuit show workers sharing racially and sexually inappropriate jokes. An alcohol-soaked bar brawl involving off-duty agents in 2002 involved allegations that an agent had bitten off part of a man's ear — though no charges were brought and a jury sided with the agent in a civil trial. A 2002 U.S. News & World Report contained allegations of heavy drinking, pornography viewing at work and security lapses.

How much it sets back efforts to recruit women may depend on the pervasiveness of inappropriate behavior, Milgram said. "It's a way of operating," she said, "that I think most of us would consider a way that was left behind 30 years ago."

usnews.msnbc.msn. com
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Americans historically have never liked nor wanted to put women in to dangerous positions thats not to say they can't do the job. They obviously can but the last thing we need is "Affrimative" action when it comes to the secret service.

The only thing that should matter in the secret service are their qualifications. Women can do everything a man can everyone knows that and the last thing people need to be doing is playing politics regarding this matter.

The secret service has been around for near 150 years has saved many presidents and taken many bullets considering the current political climate i do believe this whole secret service "ordeal" is smoke and mirrors.

Yes and no.

Yes: If women who go into the secret service hold on to stereotypes about women's sexuality, then of course that would happen less. But then, drama queens wouldn't be able to get their secret work done due to the constant backstabbing behavior, either.

No: If these women are "liberated" enough to choose a man's world, they may sleep around in the manner of their colleagues.

What is needed is people with more scruples in the spying and protection games. But that would mean that their morals would get in the way of depriving others of their essential freedoms, so that's not likely to fly with TPTB.

reply to post by neo96


I agree, Affirmative Action has no place in any of these dealings. There are some aspects of Agency life that could tolerate a little modernizing though. I get the idea this article is saying the Agency could use a woman's touch to bring a little decorum into their show. I'm not sure that is the way to go about doing that but it would appear the guys may need to clean up their act a bit.

Obama had some quips about the Agents' new restrictions at this evening's White House Correspondence Dinner

news.yahoo.com...

President Obama: "I had more material prepared but I have to get the secret service home for their new curfew."

reply to post by Erongaricuaro


I stopped reading at this "Only about a tenth of field agents and uniformed officers are women, a shortage some attribute to travel demands that can be especially taxing on women balancing families and careers"

I could already tell where that article was going.What a joke.As if men don't do that either.The reason there isn't more women in the SS is either A)They can't do the job or B) They choose not to.

If they thought they could there'd be more women doing it.It's that simple.

Originally posted by Erongaricuaro
reply to post by neo96

 

I agree, Affirmative Action has no place in any of these dealings. There are some aspects of Agency life that could tolerate a little modernizing though. I get the idea this article is saying the Agency could use a woman's touch to bring a little decorum into their show. I'm not sure that is the way to go about doing that but it would appear the guys may need to clean up their act a bit.

Obama had some quips about the Agents at the White House Correspondence Dinner

news.yahoo.com...

President Obama: "I had more material prepared but I have to get the secret service home for their new curfew."

edit on 29-4-2012 by Erongaricuaro because: (no reason given)

Decorum? Seriously?

Should have the SS gone and hired Liberace's to jazz up their spirit fingers and bring some back up dancers to distract from the masquerade that is the US Government... ok, that was taking it too far LOL.

But... cmon. Men are men, theses individuals do not define the entire Secret Service. Women would not make good Secret Agents... and no, I will not be defending that statement. Critical thinking should make this apparent. If you have trouble understanding why.... google it.

funny all the dead presidents were wacked after going agin the bankers
just like the men who were on guard at the time
I don't think women will stop that either

reply to post by nightstalker78

I stopped reading at this "Only about a tenth of field agents and uniformed officers are women, a shortage some attribute to travel demands that can be especially taxing on women balancing families and careers"

I could already tell where that article was going.What a joke.As if men don't do that either.The reason there isn't more women in the SS is either A)They can't do the job or B) They choose not to.

If they thought they could there'd be more women doing it.It's that simple.

Too bad you stopped reading at that point. You may have learned I also question the logic that this article is pointing to, that hiring more women would necessarily clean up the guys' act. You must also have missed the quoted line about women finding their place among these agents because of possessing specific needed skills - horseback riding for the Reagans' duty. The article offered other specifics.

These agents seem to feel a need to "macho" up their leisure activities a bit to fit their secret agent image. Not sure having more women agensts would help that but the boys did just cause another scandal. Not good during an election year.

reply to post by MESSAGEFROMTHESTARS


Not that I mean to attack your opinion, but instead of telling ppl to google "why women wont make good secret agents", why dont you go google Nancy Wake.

I'm not going to defend that statement, google it.

There are times when physical strength might make a difference, and at those times, in general, women are at a disadvantage. Size, upper body strength (sorry, not sexist, just anatomy, blame God or whatever).... can make the difference. Sure, its an old boys club kinda thing too. So if there were more women, the men would behave? Or.... they wouldn't need outside women because the female agents would.... er....... comply? Or tattle tale? I'm not sure what the point is. The main purpose is to keep the President safe. Putting themselves into situations that could lead to being compromised is certainly something they shouldn't do, and while more so during an actual outing with the President, also during their off times. It takes great self discipline to stay on the straight and narrow path required to be a secret service agent who can't be easily compromised. Kinda hard to have a family; be they male OR female agents. What they did was short sighted and obviously potentially dangerous to themselves and the President. Not quite The Right Stuff apparently. Not that they aren't human, but sometimes they are asked to be superhuman.

reply to post by jaxnmarko


Not all details require the size and body strength, and women can be mixed-in with guys that have those attributes. Still, I am not of the opinion that we must have more women to act as these guys' nannys.

I do not feel that the nightclub cavorting and call-girls are a necessary part of this duty though. Isn't that sort of activity what helped make the team less effective in Dallas for Kennedy? It seems if that is what is expected of the Secret Service team at all their stops then it is a good way for malicious conspirators to render them less efficient. Perhaps just better policy to give them more days off to pursue their carnal pleasures, off the clock.

what a joke, anyone who cant see past the smoke and mirrors of this whole charade is a fool.

reply to post by Erongaricuaro


are they mad that there wasnt any girl on girl action in the scandal?
if that is the case i am mad aswell that there arent any women in the secret service

Gotta love the brilliant logic in our Politicians....


Yeah, working with women will make men not want to get laid

I think this is just a case of never letting a good controversy go to waste. Feminists have seen an example of individuals behaving badly and decided to blame it on a "male a cultural problem towards women" in the Secret Service industry. This type of rhetoric encourages people to think that maybe things would be better off with more women involved. Which of course leads to talk about affirmative action in the form of actively bringing in more women and taking in less men to equal the numbers.

The truth is that men are hard-wired for certain jobs while women are hard-wired for certain others. I think this is one of those jobs that men are hard-wired for and therefore the gender ratio is not important to consider in this profession.

Problem solved! Get more women in the SS, thus providing the testosterone filled gorillas with prime rape material, just like the Army, Navy, Airforce do. Less chance of them trying to "cook" the expenses too trying to add their booze and hooker expenses.

Seriously, what is it with these jerks that they feel the need to "indulge" in such things on overseas trips? I have spent years traveling the world on business and not once have I been tempted to avail myself of local prostitutes. It's just not ethical, but I guess for those on the government payroll, morals, ethics and honesty are NOT prerequisites for employment. However, you'd think an organisation like the SS would at least try to act in a more security conscious and professional manner.

Originally posted by Dark Ghost

The truth is that men are hard-wired for certain jobs while women are hard-wired for certain others.

Agreed. Yet every time I try to point this out to others they accuse me of being "sexist". So I'd like to add to that statement by saying that it doesn't mean that only men are capable of being good secret service agents, simply that men are more inclined to join the secret service. Let's face it, there are always going to be more men joining the secret service than women. I have every confidence that women could do just as good a job as secret service agents as their male coworkers. And in some cases they might do better. But people seem too quick to assume that because there are fewer women who are in the secret service, it's because the secret service simply won't higher them. It's probably because most women don't try to join the secret service, and not all that do are qualified (just like men).

Women can do the 'other' SS job: protecting against counterfeitting since that involves investigation but asking a woman to take a bullet for a man? LOL, maybe if it was Hilary.

It's probably Hillary that wants more women

exspecially if they look like Janet Reno