ABSTRACT

Prologue: Brenda Berkman and the New York City Fire Department It has been just about 25 years since the first women were hired by the New York City Fire Department as firefighters. It took a landmark lawsuit, filed by Brenda Berkman, for the fire department to admit women to its ranks. But, by 2006, women composed less than 1% of the department’s firefighters (33 women out of 11,468 firefighters). The city’s fire department is once again under investigation for allegations of discrimination against women in its hiring practices.