An Unsuitable Job For A Woman Essay

As the late Robert Peel once said, “The police are the public, and the public are the police”. Theoretically, Peel’s statement proves true as policing is the duty of maintaining order carried out by members of society. The police are the civil force of a local or national government consisting of many departments, units, and individuals tasked with different responsibilities; the most prominent being the role of the detective. Historically, the detective has been a position dominated by men as women have traditionally been phased out of consideration for the role. In modern day police institutions, women account for a significant number of officers, including but not limited to, the detective. The novel An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by P.D James is written in 1972 during the pinnacle of the feminist movement, and features a woman as the lead detective; a concept that at the time of publication is seen as absurd and
P.D. James, author of An Unsuitable Job for a Woman has addressed and effectively abolished the absurd assumption that detection is an unsuitable job for women. The fictitious character of detective Cordelia Gray symbolizes the dissipation of the idea that detection is a profession unsuitable for women, as she proves she is able to assume the responsibly of lead detective in the place of a man, who at the time is assumed to be genetically superior based on the false pretense that males triumph over females. The essay The Simple Art of Murder written by Raymond Chandler outlines the irrational ideologies that detection is a profession suited and limited to men. Chandlers essay in contrast with James’ novel provides evidence sufficient enough to support the theory that women are suited for the role of detective, as a female detective has shattered all notions regarding the idea that women are incapable and men rein