The vast majority of my experiences with male P.I.s have been positive & there are a lot of really good ones out there. I love being a female & I love being a P.I. but the two, together, aren't always sunshine & roses.
Some things can be categorized as, no-harm-intended, (albeit inane & misguided), "Good Ol' Boy" stuff but others simply can't be explained or excused as such..
I believe in not taking myself - or others - too seriously & in picking my battles. Some comments are made without malice & aren't meant to cause harm, (like calling me, "P.I. Barbie", or, "Barbie - P.I."; which - I have to admit; is pretty funny). As I once theorized to a teenaged niece who was being harassed by some catty girls at school - being called "Barbie" can actually be seen as a compliment. She's a strong, intelligent, beautiful, woman with tonnes of awesome stuff. (Divorce-Barbie even comes with half of Ken's stuff).
On the other hand, there have also been sexually inappropriate remarks; namely about my - or other females' - anatomy.
I've also had my abilities doubted, simply because of being female.
I've worked cases where things were progressing well yet a male was sent to accompany me (against my protests) for no reason other than to act as an unneeded bodyguard; resulting in a subject being so put off by the guy's presence that they simply shut down & refused to communicate further. The male boss at the time was a nice enough guy but he just couldn't seem to get past his, (outdated), beliefs.
Women are actually perfectly suited for this type of job. (Women's), intuition is relied upon often, as are creativity, the ability to think outside the box, problem-solving, multi-tasking, & sensitivity/ empathy. These are typically female traits & there are even recent medical studies, (one studied 50,000 brain scans), that show no activity whatsoever in some of these areas of the male-brain)
One difference - on a lighter note; twelve-hour surveillance stretches are not out of the ordinary; of course, we are usually equipped with coffee/ tea. Women face certain logistical challenges in this regard that men simply don't & a quick trip to a gas-station is out of the question - especially when working solo. This is one of those instances where creativity & ingenuity are relied upon.
With this all being said, I believe that this industry is changing, in the right direction, and that male & female investigators can learn a great deal from one another.
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