FEPG believes there is nothing more vital to our society than strong women adding strong children to the world. There should be NOTHING and NO ONE allowed to interfere with a woman's choice to have children. Unfortunately, the EP field is so intensely male dominated that there is a significant amount of misogyny and discrimination against any woman who wishes to pursue a career as an EP agent in the first place. On the other hand, there is a growing number of men who recognize the importance of women in the EP field and actively support women in security. 

A lot of the discrimination against women in security stems from an old-school mentality that security agents should be big, scary, tall, and strong. Now, we know some clients prefer men with a large stature, there is no denying that - yet, many clients prefer a more incognito version of security that doesn't scream there is even security present. For example, if there is a large security professional with the typical muscular build and demeanor, people are going to be looking around trying to spot the VIP.  The only reason these people started looking for a VIP in the first place is because they saw the stereotypical looking security agent. Women EP agents are being chosen more and more because they do not attract such high levels of attention from the public. This makes it easier for VIPs to go unnoticed in public areas.  

As the number of women in security increases, more issues are arising between women EP agents who want to have children and their employers who end up feeling "betrayed" by the idea. Many employers get a cut of what the women agents earn because the women don't source their own details. If a woman is pregnant, it means some employers are going to lose money because they will no longer have a quality female agent on the roster for several months. 

It's understandable to be upset about losing money but a woman agent should never feel like she is being punished for choosing to have a child. All employers, whether the female agent is a 1099 employee or a W-2 employee, should have a maternity leave plan for their women agents. This plan should tailored to what the woman employee feels comfortable doing. A lot of women are not going to want to do security at 35 weeks pregnant; however, many women will want to continue working for either their entire pregnancy or at least until the third trimester. As stated before, women should be able to have a conversation with their employers about what they feel comfortable working.

Openly communicating with an employer about a pregnancy allows for proactive planning and ensures that the necessary adjustments are made to accommodate the pregnant woman's needs. Unfortunately, there have been reports of executive protection employers belittling their female staff, taking away work from them, and even deserting them for getting pregnant. Ironically, male EP agents with pregnant wives are often given more work, time off, and higher pay. Currently, there is not much women can do to fight this, especially if they are independent contractors. FEPG recommends women attempt to become legal employees of a company instead of independent contractors. By doing this, the women are protected from discrimination because there are many federal labor laws employers must abide by.

FEPG hopes  all female executive protection agents will do the research necessary to ensure they will only be employed by agencies who respect and support women who could potentially wish to add children to their families. With the right agencies or employers, a pregnant EP agent can continue to succeed in the executive protection career field while prioritizing the health and well-being of  herself and her unborn child.