Two High-Ranking Female Firefighters File Sex Discrimination Lawsuit Against Former Employers
Two high-ranking female firefighters in North Carolina are in the process of suing their former employers, alleging they were subjected to demeaning behavior that ultimately ended their careers, The Associated Press reported.
Joy Ponder, the highest-ranking female firefighter in Asheville, filed a sex discrimination lawsuit in a North Carolina district court in November.
Susanna Schmitt Williams, the first female chief of a municipal fire department in North Carolina, filed her own lawsuit in January.
The lawsuits shine a light on the discrimination women face in a male-dominated field.
In the suit, Ponder said she faced harassment and gender discrimination from Chief Scott Burnette, alleging that he consistently treated her in a “personally demeaning, hostile and harassing manner.”
