Compared to their male counterparts, there is not enough female leadership in security agencies around the globe. As a result, women now experience more restrictions and difficulties at work because security agency decisions don't take into account their opinions or perspectives. This essay examines the restrictions placed on women working for the CIA. In order to determine successful strategies that can increase female representation in leadership at the CIA and lessen the challenges women face, a comparison of female leadership in the CIA and other security agencies such as the FBI and the Secret Service is made. Biblical perspectives, legal perspectives, and arguments in academic research such as equality are used to come up with the strategies of empowerment, representation, and engagement; which would ensure that women are able to reach the heights of their careers in security agencies. This report aims to create a recommended model for the CIA which if implemented fully would result in equal representation of men and women in the CIA, including in top leadership positions. The CIA would become the model to be emulated by other security agencies such as the FBI in which female representation is very low. The cost-effectiveness of the recommended model is also discussed in order to assess the advantages of the recommendations.
The Challenge of Women Limitations in the CIA
The low number of women in leadership positions of security agencies and departments worldwide continue to show that women are still an underrepresented group in leadership. According to the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) figures on women in leadership globally, more women are at the helm of ministries of health, environment and education as opposed to ministries such as security and trade (Lavussa, 2005). The CIA is the lead security agency in the United States when it comes to the number of women in leadership which currently stands at 44%; being the number of women who are in the GS-13 to GS-15 levels. The number of women in the CIA is also commendable at 46% of the entire workforce. Despite the favorable numbers of women representation in the CIA, the limitations to women achieving greater responsibility leadership positions at the head of the CIA persist. According to the CIA Director's Advisory Group on Women in Leadership Report, there are prevailing systemic issues that should be addressed in order to ensure that women achieve top leadership positions at the CIA.
Historically, women have played an important role in the CIA. Although their roles were initially limited to simple but mundane tasks such as decoding and filing reports; the performance of their duties was pertinent to smooth operations of the agency (Durbin, 2015). Despite the number of limitations which women experienced in the workplace such as sexual harassment; they strived to take leadership positions at the CIA. Some of the notable female leaders in CIA's history include: Adelaide Hawkins who became the first female Chief of the Cryptanalysis Section; and Virginia Hall, who was among the first spies of the CIA. Women's pertinent role in the history of the CIA warrants their equal representation in top leadership positions. Increased engagement, representation, and empowerment of women in the CIA are essential in ensuring that women acquire top leadership positions.
Significance of the report for the CIA and other security agencies
This report is important for the CIA because it provides a pathway for the equal representation of women; the elimination of gender bias in the workplace and compliance with national and international obligations. The CIA which is committed to equality in leadership will through this report, acquire mechanisms whose implementation will improve the outcomes of women leadership in its top positions. The challenges of the limitations that women face in security agencies such as the CIA are similar in all working environments including in the corporate world, government agencies and security agencies. Reasons such as lack of adequate system structures to ensure that women rise above the ranks in an organization to reach the top positions and the lack of alignment of personal goals with the organization's goals make it difficult for women to scale the heights of their profession (Slaughter, 2015). This aim herein is not only to provide mechanisms for ensuring women are equally represented in top leadership positions at the CIA but also to provide a framework which other security agencies currently lagging behind in women representation in leadership can emulate. The goal of this report is to ensure that the CIA becomes a model for women representation which other security agencies can emulate.
The underrepresentation of women in security agencies has negative consequences for the organization as a whole. It not only hinders the integration of the department but also decreases women's engagement and initiative when it comes to accomplishing their duties and undertaking critical tasks in the intelligence initiatives. The lack of a female perspective in top leadership decision making also ensures that women's unique perspectives in the workplace are not adhered to. The likelihood of unfavorable working conditions, for example, due to sexual harassment thereby increases. Unlike their male counterparts, women also have a critical role in the family institution as a result of childbearing, and as such, this natural role should be taken into account to ensure the retention of women in the workplace. There should also be mechanisms to ensure that women who choose to take time off work to bear children are not discriminated against when it comes to promotions.
Mechanisms adopted by other agencies
The representation of women in leadership at the FBI has declined in recent years. Currently, the number of women who are senior agents stands at twelve percent. The decline is attributed to factors such as the rigorous work-life balance for women who have families, the lack of mentors who encourage women to rise above the ranks of leadership in the FBI, and promotion criteria in the agency that are less favorable for women. The factors discussed hinder women from active participation in promotion exercises. In 2016, the FBI director noted the low representation of women in the FBI and opined that the lack of enough women in the organization could undermine the effectiveness of the agency as it would not be out of touch with the community it was meant to serve (Federal Bureau of Investigations, 2017). As such, several mechanisms were adopted including the use of recruitment data to ensure that more field offices recruit more female officers.
The strategies adopted by the FBI to increase the number of women in leadership positions are ineffective because they do not address the specific issues that cause the situation. Female recruitment may address the overall number of women in the FBI but cannot address the issues of promoting women in the bureau. The lack of mentors for the female agents is partly responsible for the lack of female agents at the helm of the counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and criminal investigation departments within the FBI. Individual motivation of the female agents within the organization should also be addressed in order to enable them to maintain a work-life balance.
In contrast, the Secret Service has better female representation of women in senior agent positions. In 2013, the Secret Service got its first female head, Julia Pierson who was appointed by President Barack Obama. Although it is arguable that the prostitution scandal involving secret agents in 2012 contributed to the political appointment, the move improved the chances of female representation within the Secret Service (Yu, 2015). Tokenism, in the case of Julia Pierson, was viewed as a hindrance that she had to overcome to prove that she was fit for the role as opposed to the role being handed to her because she was female. Pierson's appointment led to an increase in the number of female senior agents which currently surpasses the FBI.
Biblical Perspectives
Despite the prevalent narrative of a patriarchal society in which women were ordained to be submissive to men, there are biblical heroines who led the Israelite society through times of war and peace. The Biblical heroines include Deborah, Jael, and Judith. Deborah led the Israelite army in the book of Judges 4 to defeat Sisera and ruled Israel as one of its famous judges. The narrative that the Bible prohibits female leadership and female participation in combat is therefore demystified. Women also play a vital role in the shaping of society as seen in Mary's role in Christianity. Mary not only gave birth to Jesus but also raised Him, in accordance with the spiritual guidelines of the bible thereby enabling Him to live according to the will of God and save mankind (Luke 1-4). The birth of Jesus signified an elevation of the status of women in society. Women were no longer subdued but rather elevated by Jesus as seen through his experiences with Mary, the sister of Lazarus(Luke 10:38-42). The important lessons that can be learnt from the biblical verses on women, leadership, and combat are that women should be empowered in society. In agencies such as the CIA therefore, women should be empowered to reach the heights of their career and leadership as they offer unique guidance perspectives that can lead to the progress and security of mankind.
Women are efficient
According to Durbin, research shows that women are more efficient than their male counterparts in the accomplishments of tasks. The role of women as nurturers in the society seen through their role in the family also shows that women are more efficient leaders who focus on the improvement of the lives of everyone in the society (Durbin, 2015). The inclusion of women in top leadership positions would therefore improve the perspectives, strategies, and administrative efficiency of the organizations they serve in. Women in leadership also improve working conditions for other women who thereby have a chance at leadership. The policies created by women would have unique perspectives on issues such as maternity leave in the CIA and family, which would change the inclination of women to rise through the ranks as opposed to settling for lower duties or administrative functions which allow them to maintain a work-life balance in order to care for their families.
Legal Perspectives
International instruments provide legal stipulations against discrimination and equal opportunities for women in the workplace. Human rights instruments such as the Universal Declaration on Human Rights which was ratified by the United States are aimed at ensuring women have an equal opportunity to advance to leadership positions in the workplace (Sen, 2016). The lack of federal laws derails the achievement of gender equality in top leadership positions. Unlike other countries such as Germany and Kenya which set gender quotas in the boardrooms of government institutions, the United States does not have direct mechanisms for the achievement of equality in leadership positions in government agencies. The United States Commission on Civil Rights is tasked with the appraisal of laws and policies within the United States federal government in order to ensure that there is no discrimination on any basis including gender (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 2017). The need for federal policies that promote women representation in top leadership positions of agencies such as the CIA cannot be understated due to the ineffectiveness of the international obligations and state agencies to ensure women are adequately represented in agencies.
The CIA operates under the regime of laws on equality and equal opportunities. The United States Department of Labor has agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission whose role is to promote equal opportunities for all employees regardless of gender (United States DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, 2017). The Commission uses mechanisms such as technical support and education and the enforcement of federal civil rights laws. The CIA is therefore under an obligation to adhere to civil rights and ensure that women are equally represented in leadership positions at the CIA. However, just as in the case of the United States Commission on Civil Rights, the role that the commissions play in enhancing women's leadership in security agencies is ineffective. Direct laws, regulations, and policies would better serve to ensure that women are incorporated in top leadership positions through means such as mandatory mentorship and sponsorship programs for the CIA and laws that ensure women who take time off work to create families are not affected by such decisions when it comes to promotions. Promotion techniques that are favorable to women should be used by the CIA to ensure that women also make the cut to reach the top leadership at the organization.
Policy recommendations for the CIA
The policies that should be adopted by the CIA to tackle the limitations of women are: an increase in workplace flexibility, fostering intentional development, and recognition of diverse paths. In fostering intentional development, the Agency should ensure that the organization's need and mission are aligned with employee goals in a manner that encourages both to thrive. This would ensure that women acknowledge that their improvement and growth are central to the goals of the organization and through the support they receive, are able to reach top leadership positions. Workplace flexibility involves the incorporation of mechanisms to improve the work-life balance that is important to women, especially those with families, in order to ensure that they view their work positively and develop the perspective of growing in a career as opposed to having to make a choice between work and family. Mechanisms that push women to make a decision between work and life make them incapable of growing to the top levels of the CIA profession as they would seek positions that require just enough time to enable them also to care for their families. The capability of diverse paths to produce effective and efficient leadership should be acknowledged by the CIA. Women have divergent views on values and leadership styles that leaders should possess. As such, they tend to have divergent paths which may not be acknowledged as the right qualifications that warrant a promotion. There is a need for promotion criteria that are favorable to diverse paths that allow women to also be incorporated in leadership and their divergent perspectives included in decision making.
The full implementation of the proposed implementation plan would require a change in the strategies used to incorporate women in top leadership at the CIA. It would include the promotion of female representation at the CIA from the onset, at the recruitment process, whereby there should be a fifty percent quota for female representation, to the mentoring of female recruits and employees at the CIA. The female employees of the CIA should have sponsors who guide them and mentor them for leadership roles. The effect would be an increased number of female leaders at the CIA. Other effects would include the inclusion of female perspectives in internal matters such as sexual harassment, which would go a long way to ensure that there is a safe working environment in the CIA for women.
Incremental approach
The incremental approach has been used by the CIA so far to ensure that female representation in the organization reaches the 44% mark. The promotion of women to top leadership positions would, however, require different tactics as opposed to the incremental approach, which utilizes only some of the recommendations at a given time. The result would be a situation whereby there would be a few women in top leadership positions at the CIA as currently is. The lack of a significant change through mechanisms such as provision of mentors or sponsors would make the CIA have to resort to methods such as tokenism, which as seen in the case of the Secret Service, would require women to prove themselves to be worthy of their positions. Resentment can, therefore, emerge among the ranks leading to women opting out of such positions due to a lack of support.
The 'do nothing' approach
If the CIA does not implement any recommendation for the improvement of female leadership in the CIA, the result can be a reduction in the number of women in the CIA. The FBI provides a perfect example of such a scenario, with the reduction of women in the FBI reducing due to the retirement of the few female leaders (Federal Bureau of Investigations, 2017). The 'do nothing' scenario would also result in a lack of female perspectives in intelligence and administrative decisions, which can be injurious not only to the organization but the entire country. The nurturing perspective of women, such as in the case of Mary, mother of Jesus, is important in ensuring the safety of all field agents and the protection and care of all employees.
The impact to the CIA
The CIA would increase the female representation in top leadership to half of the workforce if the recommendations above are implemented. Safer and better working conditions would ensue for all employees due to the nurturing role of women in society, as seen in the case of Mary, mother of Jesus, who nurtured the savior of the world. The CIA would be a model for other organizations in achieving gender parity and equal opportunities for women, as well as improving its public image.
The impact to external stakeholders
External stakeholders include the federal government, the commissions on civil rights and equal employment opportunities, and other associated agencies. The impact that the recommendations would have on such agencies is the provision of a successful model for engagement of women in leadership, which would inspire incorporation in other federal agencies and state departments. Organizations such as the FBI would have to adopt the same mechanisms to ensure that female representation in its leadership positions is improved. The result would be an increase in female employment opportunities at the FBI and the CIA. A spillover effect would ensure that female leadership is incorporated in corporate boards.
Impact to budget
The recommended strategies can be realized with minimal impact to the CIA budget. The CIA would even save money through the retention of female agents who would have opted out of the Agency to care for their families. The only cost that would be incurred would be on the training of current leaders in order to develop a mentorship program for the female employees. Other expenses would be on assessment mechanisms that should be conducted annually to assess the effectiveness of the strategies and areas for improvement.
Conclusion
Women have played an instrumental role in the CIA from its inception. Despite the increase in the number of women in the CIA, the professional limitations for women persist. Empowerment, promotion, and engagement are essential to ensure that women are represented in the leadership of the CIA. The representation of women at the helm of the CIA would ensure better working conditions for all employees of the CIA due to the nurturing role of women in society, as seen in the case of Mary, mother of Jesus, who nurtured the savior of the world. It is a legal requirement that women have equal opportunities in the workplace. Lastly, women are just as capable as men in the performance of their duties and as such, should be given an equal opportunity to reach the top leadership positions at the CIA.
Bibliography
Durbin, B. (2015). Addressing 'This Woeful Imbalance' : Efforts to Improve Women's Representation at CIA 1947-2014. Intelligence and National Security, 30(6) , 855-870.
Federal Bureau of Investigations. (2017). Federal Bureau of Investigations. Retrieved 10 14, 2017, from Federal BUreau of Investigations: https://www.fbi.gov/history
Lavussa, B. (2005). Daughters of Africa Step Forward. Women in Leadership: The CIA Figures. African Business Journal .
Sen, G. (2016). Should Labour Standards Be Framed as Human Rights.
Slaughter, A.-M. (2015). Why women still can't have it all. OneWorld , 100.
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. (2017). U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Retrieved 10 14, 2017, from U.S. Commission on Civil Rights: https://www.usccr.gov
United States DEPARTMENT OF LABOR. (2017). Equal Employment Opportunity. Retrieved 10 14, 2017, from United States DEPARTMENT OF LABOR: https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/discrimination
Yu, H. H. (2015). An examination of women in federal law enforcement: an exploratory analysis of the challenges they face in the work environment . Feminist Criminology 10.3 , 259-278.
