A group of 16 female former FBI recruits are suing the bureau. They accuse the agency of gender discrimination, alleging a “good old boy network” infests the FBI academy at Quantico.
Fox News’ Lucia I. Suarez Sang reports:
The 16 women, seven of whom still work at the FBI, filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Washington claiming the bureau subjected them to a hostile work environment and outdated gender stereotypes as well as punished them with a review process biased towards males and overt sexual harassment. Each of the women had been training to become special agents during the time they allege the discrimination occurred.
“In many cases, the harassment and discrimination take the form of gender-plus discrimination, in that women of color or who have disabilities are excessively singled out for adverse treatment,” the lawsuit states. “Those female trainees who were offered other FBI employment were forced to take positions several grades lower than their previous grade or experience justified.”
According to the lawsuit, the women claim the FBI intentionally allowed the “Good Old Boy Network” to flourish unrestrained at the academy, its influence seen in subjective evaluations by mostly male instructors who dismissed female trainees “at a rate significantly and disproportionately higher than their male counterparts.”
One of the women, who asked to be identified as “Ava,” told NBC News the agents at the FBI’s training academy in Quantico, Virginia, made her feel “worthless and disposable.”
The lawsuit comes as the FBI actively tries to increase the number of female agents in its ranks.
AAN Staff
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