Work-life Conflict Causes Challenges for Women Serving in Emergency Response Roles Problem Statement The family make-up and dynamic has changed significantly over the past twenty decades and women are serving as head of households. Medved notes 40% of U.S women, a 30% increase from 1960, are primary earners in households with children (as cited in Wang, Parker & Taylor, 2013). Additionally, more women are in previously predominantly male occupations such as Emergency Medical Services (EMS), firefighting, police force and now in emergency management roles. When women in these head of household roles are in these essential personnel or responder roles, finding a balance between the requirement to be on scene and ensuring their families are safe is proving to be a difficult challenge. Men find it difficult to need to respond to and after a disaster. A woman serving as head of their household will have more of a challenge with those same excuses and reasons as their male counterparts. Women in roles that require their presence during emergencies or disasters are finding that their support needs are different than their male counterparts, adding to, having to battle the attitudes of those that are less understanding of the new family dynamic. Agocs, Langan & Sanders (2015) argues that police mothers, based on the little research that does exists, navigate “challenges because of social expectations that inevitably come into play once their “mother” identity is known” (Agocs, Langan & Sanders (2015, P. 266). Women are expected to choose between work and family. Research will show that support from employers could benefit from a little more compassion of the new family dynamic. (Something needs to go here). Provide a one- to two-paragraph statement that is the result of a review of research findings and current practice and that contains the following information: 1. A logical argument for the need to address an identified gap in the research literature that has current relevance to the discipline and area of practice. Keep in mind that a gap in the research is not, in and of itself, a reason to conduct research. Make sure to clarify the problem that led you to the gap. 2. Preliminary evidence that provides justification that this problem is meaningful to the discipline or professional field. Provide three to five key citations that support the relevance and currency of the problem. These references need not all be from peer- reviewed journals but should be from reputable sources, such as national agency databases or scholarly books, and should ideally be from the past 5 years. Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the challenges women employed in emergency response roles are facing by serving as the sole caregiver and financial supporter of the family during events that require their response. This information is valuable to policy development and administrative activities that require emergency planning with regards to families of .

1. Work-life Conflict Causes Challenges for Women
Serving in Emergency Response Roles
Problem Statement
The family make-up and dynamic has changed significantly over
the past twenty decades and women are serving as head of
households. Medved notes 40% of U.S women, a 30% increase
from 1960, are primary earners in households with children (as
cited in Wang, Parker & Taylor, 2013). Additionally, more
women are in previously predominantly male occupations such
as Emergency Medical Services (EMS), firefighting, police
force and now in emergency management roles. When women in
these head of household roles are in these essential personnel or
responder roles, finding a balance between the requirement to
be on scene and ensuring their families are safe is proving to be
a difficult challenge. Men find it difficult to need to respond to
and after a disaster. A woman serving as head of their
household will have more of a challenge with those same
excuses and reasons as their male counterparts.
Women in roles that require their presence during emergencies
or disasters are finding that their support needs are different
than their male counterparts, adding to, having to battle the
attitudes of those that are less understanding of the new family
dynamic. Agocs, Langan & Sanders (2015) argues that police
mothers, based on the little research that does exists, navigate
“challenges because of social expectations that inevitably come
into play once their “mother” identity is known” (Agocs,
Langan & Sanders (2015, P. 266). Women are expected to
choose between work and family. Research will show that
support from employers could benefit from a little more
compassion of the new family dynamic. (Something needs to go
here).
Provide a one- to two-paragraph statement that is the result of a
review of research findings and current practice and that
contains the following information:

2. 1. A logical argument for the need to address an identified gap
in the research literature that has current relevance to the
discipline and area of practice. Keep in mind that a gap in the
research is not, in and of itself, a reason to conduct research.
Make sure to clarify the problem that led you to the gap.
2. Preliminary evidence that provides justification that this
problem is meaningful to the discipline or professional field.
Provide three to five key citations that support the relevance
and currency of the problem. These references need not all be
from peer- reviewed journals but should be from reputable
sources, such as national agency databases or scholarly books,
and should ideally be from the past 5 years.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the challenges
women employed in emergency response roles are facing by
serving as the sole caregiver and financial supporter of the
family during events that require their response. This
information is valuable to policy development and
administrative activities that require emergency planning with
regards to families of women personnel that will be first
responders. This position is the concern that stress or worry
could lead to mistakes while on duty during emergencies or
disasters and if those mistakes or stress could be mitigated by
employer understanding and proper planning.
Present a concise, one-paragraph statement on the overall
purpose or intention of the
study, which serves as the connection between the problem
being addressed and the focus of the study.
In qualitative studies, describe the need for increased
understanding about the issue to be studied, based on the
identified gap or problem.
Significance
This study will contribute to the filling of the gap existing in
literature about the need to prepare for head of household
women to not choose between their obligated duties to the
public and to their families

3. Provide one or two paragraphs, informed by the topic in the
problem statement, that describe the following:
1. How this study will contribute to filling the gap identified in
the problem statement: What original contribution will this
study make?
2. How this research will support professional practice or allow
practical application: Answer the So what? question.
3. How the claim aligns with the problem statement to reflect
the potential relevance of this study to society: How might the
potential findings lead to positive social change?
Background
Research indicates that during hurricane Katrina, first
responders whose families were affected experienced stress and
anxiety due to playing the role of the first responder and the
role of a senior (?) family member. Families of first responders
are critical during evacuation and emergency response efforts
because they may face various complexities that may also deter
the first responder from effectively responding to emergency
work due to development of anxiety. In another study, Smith
2013 illustrates that it is well acknowledged that first
responders may face the difficulty of separation of the emotions
that arise out of their jobs from personal life issues.
Provide a representative list of scholarship and findings that
support and clarify the main assertions in the problem
statement, highlighting their relationship to the topic, for
example, “this variable was studied with a similar sample by
Smith (2013) and Johnson (2014)” or “Jones’s (2012)
examination of industry leaders showed similar trends in the
same key segments.” Some of these resources may have already
been mentioned in the first sections of the prospectus and can
be included here, also.
Framework
In one paragraph, describe the theoretical/conceptual framework
in the scholarly literature that will ground the study. Base this
description on the problem, purpose, and background of your
study. This theoretical or conceptual framework informs, and is

4. informed by, the research question(s) and helps to identify
research design decisions, such as the method of inquiry and
data collection and analysis.
Research Questions
Research Questions: In qualitative study inquirers state research
questions, not objectives (i.e. specific goals for the research) or
hypotheses (i.e. predictions that involve variables and statistical
tests). (C., 2003, p.105)
RQ 1
RQ 2
RQ 3
List the question or a series of related questions that are
informed by the study purpose, which will lead to the
development of what needs to be done in this study and how it
will be accomplished. A research question informs the research
design by providing a foundation for
· generation of hypotheses in quantitative studies,
· questions necessary to build the design structure for
qualitative studies, and a
· process by which different methods will work together in
mixed-methods studies.
Nature of the Study
Using one of the following terms as a subheading; provide a
concise paragraph that discusses the approach that will be used
to address the research question(s) and how this approach aligns
with the problem statement. The subheadings and examples of
study design are as follows:
Qualitative—for ethnography, case study, grounded theory,
narrative inquiry, phenomenological research, policy analysis,
or other qualitative traditions
Possible Types and Sources of Data
Provide a list of possible types and sources of data that could be
used to address the proposed research question(s), such as test
scores from college students, employee surveys, observations of
a phenomenon, interviews with practitioners, historical
documents from state records, deidentified medical records, or

5. information from a federal database. Sources of information that
support and clarify the problem belong in the Background
section.
Methodology
The most logical research trajectory would be grounded theory,
offering an explanation to concerns affecting women that work
in emergency response roles while acting as head of their
household. The appropriate methodology for this study will be
use of interviews. The rationale for interviews is to draw in-
depth analysis and information on the opinions, feelings, and
perceptions women responders with regards to the safety of
their families. Feelings about how an employer reacts or
responds to essential personnel is becoming all too real in the
hiring decision making process.
Possible Analytical Strategies
Offer some possible ways to organize and analyze the results
obtained by the research strategies detailed previously. A few
examples of possible analytical strategies include multiple
regression, content analysis, and meta-analysis. Keep in mind
that data analysis approaches are generally decided after the
research question and data collection approach are settled, so
your strategy here may evolve and change as you develop your
proposal.
Other Information
Include any other relevant information, such as challenges or
barriers that may need to be
addressed when conducting this study.

6. References
On a new page, list your references formatted in the correct
style (sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association)