The field of private investigation has traditionally been known to be a “man’s world”. The focus is most definetley on  men. Think about it honestly. If we were to ask what image comes to mind when you hear the word ‘detective’ or ‘investigator’, you would probably say that you imagine a tall handsome man. Possibly with a pipe in his mouth, in other words a Sherlock Holmes. In case you are an Agatha Christie fan, and can’t get enough of the Belgian detective with a foreign accent, you would probably say Hercule Poirot (Private Investigator).

Would you remotely think of Nancy Drew or even Miss Marple for that matter? And that’s just fiction! What we are trying to get at is that the field of private investigation has always been known to be a “boy’s club” and that brings us to the many challenges that women face in the field of private investigation.

Thanks to the fact that women are moving towards being on par with men in every field today, the number of women in the field of private investigation has also seen a spurt. A lot of women over the past couple of decades have chosen to get into this field and the challenges they face are no different than they would in any other profession.

Women can do everything. Right from being homemakers to flying space shuttles, women have literally done it all, and yet when it comes to the space of private investigation women have traditionally stayed away. Even when we stand in the 21^st century, there is still a lot of prejudice against a woman who chooses to be in the field of private investigation. And this is despite the fact that she may have superior training as well as better skills and methods as compared to her male counterparts.

Women Private Investigators on the Rise

Having said that, this perception is changing, albeit slowly. A lot of women in the recent past have chosen to enter this field not just based on their so-called intuitive powers, but because they have had a career in the armed forces or the police or have been in a police forensics department. These ladies have been inspired to enter the world of private investigation. Unlike what they show you in movies, it’s anything but a glamorous job and there are substantial risks to security, health and emotional stability. And yet there are women in the field of private investigation for whom the last word is integrity.

Despite the many achievements of female private investigators, this is a field that continues to be dominated by men. However, in recent years, there has been a paradigm shift. Women from varied backgrounds are choosing to take up private investigation as a profession. With this welcome change, we can only hope that the future will not be as dismal as the past. History is witness to the fact that a lot of good work done by many unrecognised female detectives has been lost, simply because nobody bothered to take their work seriously.

Everyday Challenges for a Female Private Investigator

There is always an attempt to find the right work-life balance, especially if a woman has a family and children (Private Investigator. There are the long hours and having to explain to young children in the best way possible the need for a disguise or an undercover operation (without giving too much away).

Private investigation is not a regular job, so to say, and the everyday pressures while working on a complex case are far more demanding than many professions. Women in the field of private investigation therefore would not end up as a soccer mom, but she would have her achievements to speak for herself when her kids do grow up to understand her profession.

The other challenge that a woman may face as a private investigator, is her emotional connection with a case. The work of a detective has a lot to do with human psychology, and try as they may it’s difficult to keep it strictly professional at times. At times, without being aware of it, a woman may get so involved in her case that she becomes extremely sympathetic with the victim. This can have a detrimental impact not just on her career but also on her psychological health, where it may so happen that she cannot move on from one particular case (Private Investigator.

A Woman in a Man’s World

Perhaps the biggest challenge a female investigator faces still in the 21^st century is prejudice at her workplace. Several woman detectives have gone on record to say that though their  male colleagues have tried their best to keep it subtle, their off-handed remarks and attitude have always suggested that a woman private investigator is not “as good” as a man just because she is a woman! These ladies who have done exceedingly well for themselves as private investigators, and admit that one of the toughest challenges for them was to prove their mettle in the “world of men.” The good news however is that times are changing.

With more and more women being encouraged to take up private investigation as their field of work, we can only hope that this prejudice against women working in this field will soon be a thing of the past (Private Investigator.

Indonesia Private Investigation Agency (IPIA) and our sister agency Bali Eye Private Investigation Agency (BEPIA) are fully registered agencies offering investigation services to the private and business sectors throughout Indonesia and South East Asia. More Articles

Though men have been the archetypal private investigators, fictional woman private investigators have existed way before even Sherlock Holmes was introduced in 1887. An author of British origin, Andrew Forrester Jr. introduced Mrs Gladden, the first female detective character in 1864. If one reads Mrs Gladden’s adventures and approach to crime, one would find that Holmes is perhaps a worthy successor to her methods of deduction (Private Detective Agency).

The Early Era of Fictional Woman Detectives

Soon after Mrs Gladden came Mrs Paschal. She was a widow of forty and comes across as any other hardboiled male detective. She is proficient in the use of a Colt revolver. Her cases involved everything – murder, forgery, kidnapping and theft. She was the narrator of her own adventures and in them she claims that she has “certain advantages” over her male competitors because criminals and suspects do not think of her as a detective. Her methods of solving a crime involved a methodical approach, and were contrary to the criticism that a woman private investigator relies too heavily on intuition. Both, Gladden and Paschal display their skills of disguise.

Another contemporary American lady detective who was introduced in the year 1880 was Kate Goelet. Despite being young (she was only twenty three) and beautiful, she was adept at weaponry and could pull out six inch daggers from her sleeves with ease. The creator of Goelet also brought to life another female detective character Cad Metti, who showed that she was capable enough not only to take care of herself but also at knocking out an antagonist. She too comes across as a genius in disguise.

The Fiction and the Facts

Of the best known female investigators ever created however is Agatha Christie’s famous lady detective Miss Jane Marple, who makes her first appearance in 1928. Introduced as a spinster at the ripe age of sixty five, Miss Marple modestly admits many times that she is “not clever” and leads what is assumed to be a quiet life in the English countryside (Private Detective Agency). She however does say that living a number of years has given her a rare insight into human nature. Although she always remains ladylike and genteel, her adventures show that she can uncover almost any crime because of her “rare insight”.

Though the above characters remain etched in the minds of  book lovers, in real life women in the field of private investigation were unheard of till the year 1856, when Kate Warne earned the honour of being the first female investigator in the history of America. She was associated with the Pinkerton Detective Agency which was founded by Allen Pinkerton. Although she had applied for the job of a secretary, the founder of the firm was so impressed by her that he saw in her the potential of making a great female investigator. Indeed, Warne lived up to the expectations of Pinkerton and became adept at gathering information that none of her male counterparts were able to. She was even able to save the then presidential elect Abraham Lincoln from an assassination attempt.

The unfortunate part in the history of private investigation is that although there may have been many brilliant woman private investigators nobody has bothered to maintain their records and success stories. With days and times changing now, one hopes that history will not repeat itself and the work of female private investigators will be given as much credit as with their male counterparts (Private Detective Agency).

Indonesia Private Investigation Agency (IPIA) and our sister agency Bali Eye Private Investigation Agency (BEPIA) are fully registered agencies offering investigation services to the private and business sectors throughout Indonesia and South East Asia.

Advantages of a Female Private Investigator

When it comes to selecting a private investigator, we are all so hung up with the male bastion that we forget that a woman can excel as private investigators and possibly in some situations even more so than men.

Perhaps we have pre-conceived ideas of a private investigator as a male. You might blame this on detective books and movies. Mostly what we have read and seen in films or TV are extremely smart, swanky, not to mention attractive men playing the roles of investigators.  Women are often relegated to the background playing the private assistant or a sexy companion at best. The other popular perception is that of honey trappers who have been known to use their charms to expose cheating husbands.

At Indonesia Private Investigation Agency and Bali Eye Private Investigation Agency use a range of agents and will pick and choose between women and men depending on the case at hand. Sometimes men are ideal, and at other times women make the best choice.

A Growing Presence of Women Private Investigators

When it comes to the real world where private investigation is a profession like any other, women are doing exceedingly well. Even till about a decade ago only 15 per cent of private investigators in the developed nations were women, but over the past few years there has been a sea change with a number of women joining this profession.

UK especially deserves a special mention because it has seen a rise of 86 per cent in the number of female private investigators over the last ten years or so.  Not to mention Indonesia where IPIA, as one of the first Private Investigation Agencies, was started by a woman and still uses many female agents.

The Gender Advantage in Private Investigation Work

Hiring a private investigator typically means that you are going through a situation that is difficult to understand and often extremely sensitive.

I have read some argue that a woman often has a way with words and thus makes for a better communicator. The argument follows that women are ideally suited to give a patient ear to the problems of their clients and take a more sympathetic approach. It is also claimed that women also have a natural ability to put people at ease with their presence, so both clients and people being investigated seem to trust them better.

I have also read that women seem to bring to the profession natural abilities to network. A woman also can have better access to information because they have a larger access to people and places.

In one article I came across recently I read that PI agencies that are hiring women as private investigators see women as having a clear advantage as they have better abilities to multitask and unlike men, do not find it difficult to suppress their egos in order to attain their set goals. As a claim that seems a little over the top to me and there was certainly no scientific evidence offered. Finally, the article argued, to use a cliché, there is seldom a substitute for a woman’s intuition which more often than not can be a clincher when it comes to solving the most complex of cases.

Another common theme I have come across regards the fact that many of an investigator’s targets are cheating men. So the client is generally a woman. So the argument goes that a woman dealing with a woman can establish trust more easily. When it comes to female clients, another woman can repose their trust in a woman in good faith. The comfort factor with a woman is much more when it comes to investigating things like a premarital verification or a case of domestic infidelity.

All these arguments are difficult grounds to prove at least scientifically. Having said that from our experience there is certainly a growing comfort with our clients of using women and a number have specifically  asked for a female agent. Clients often seem to trust women more in some instances than their male counterparts.

For all the arguments put forth about the advantages and disadvantages of women agents I know of no scientific evidence to support an argument either way.  I would tend towards the opinion that possibly at the end of the day the difference between a man and a woman is mostly due to differences of character and not that of gender.

“Mostly” – I do believe there are some instances where, rightly or wrongly, gender makes a differences.

In terms of safety it is not unknown for agents to find themselves in some potentially threatening situations.

From our own experience there have been occasions where we have been approached by the bodyguard type of man. Possibly (probably) being a woman reduced any threat of a more physically violent confrontation.

It is very difficult to be 100% sure that gender played a role here. However, what I can say for sure is that whilst all our female PIs have found themselves in potentially violent situations none have ever had violence done to them. Our male agents on the other hand have. I have no scientific evidence if this difference is due to gender, but I do know for sure it is a fact.

It is a sad fact, but I do believe this, that everyone without exception has prejudice of some kind.

Indeed the following illustration may not be true but I appreciate the point being made. In the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles there are, apparently, two doors to enter through. One door has a sign over it reading “Enter here if you are without prejudice”. The second door has a sign over it reading “Enter here if you have prejudice”. This is the first lesson of the museum – the door “without prejudice” is locked.

I recall once at school being told the following “riddle”: a man, who is a doctor, is driving his son to school. They have a car accident and the man dies. The young boy, the son, has a severe head injury and is rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. He needs instant surgery on his skull. The brain surgeon walks into the operating theatre and seeing the patient says “Oh My God. It’s my son”.

The question is “what is the relationship between the boy and the brain surgeon”? The answer, if you do not know, is at the end of this article. Most people get the answer eventually but I have never known anyone to jump to it immediately.

I would argue that the pre-conception and prejudice of a man as an investigator can be turned to an advantage for a woman. Many cases require surveillance  and people would be less likely to suspect a woman as targeting them, making the woman private investigator more inconspicuous.

To finish – the relationship between the boy and brain surgeon? The surgeon is of course the mother.

Indonesia Private Investigation Agency (IPIA) and our sister agency Bali Eye Private Investigation Agency (BEPIA) are fully registered agencies offering investigation services to the private and business sectors throughout Indonesia and South East Asia.

Letters from a Private Investigator VIII

Spyware: Useful Or An Intrusion Of Privacy

Earlier, if you wanted to keep an eye on your spouse, you would have to rummage through his or her drawer and cupboard to find secret letters and keepsakes. The later decades introduced security locks and codes to help secure personal information from prying eyes. People have now started storing information on their smartphones and, more recently, tablets, in password-protected files and folders. Similar security measures can be adopted for calls and text messages.

The field of science and technology is a queer one. For every new item or facility it creates, it also offers an antidote. This explains the creation and launch of cell phone spyware.

Spyware – An Introduction

Spyware are software applications that enable users to gather confidential information about a person or organization without their knowledge. Such kinds of tracking software applications are typically used to monitor cell phone activity, but they can be used on tablet and computers as well.

The phone spyware applications are installed on a device, secretly. Once installed on the phone or computer, the spyware exports varied details including call logs, text messages sent and received, mobile internet connections, web pages browsed and the phone’s physical location.

Normally the data is exported to a cloud server where the person spying can access the date for viewing.

A few highly advanced applications for telephones also allow users to listen to phone conversations, and use the phone as a microphone – someone spying can listen to a conversation in a room where the telephone is. The owner of the phone, tablet or computer does not have the slightest hint that private information is being transferred to a third-party via the tracking software application.

Types of Spyware

1) Most are in the form of concealed malware that generally tags along with free downloads or gains access to your system when you visit pornographic sites. As soon as they gain entry, they set up automatically and start leaking out private and confidential information.

2) The other type includes software applications that are purchased and installed on the device one intends to track. After the application has been successfully installed, the user only has to log in to the app website to track movements and access your information.

Who can use Cell Phone Spyware?

Spyware has earned a bad name because it is largely used by criminals and stalkers. Gathering information covertly might also not sound like a very good idea to you. However, it isn’t bad if it is for the opposite person’s good or the good of the people at large.

Computer and cell phone spyware were used to launch successful business marketing campaigns. By monitoring a person’s use of the internet including the websites visited and the pages viewed, business owners attempted to tweak their marketing strategies and thereby reach their target audience.

Parents and spouses make up a large percent of commercial spyware users. As far as parents are concerned, the use is for a good reason. Given the amount of time children spend online, parents should keep a check on the websites their children visit, the people they contact and their whereabouts; whether they attend school regularly or spend their time elsewhere. Spouses also have the right to know to if their partner is cheating on them.

Answering the question posed in the title – useful or intrusion of privacy, it’s a matter of how you use the phone spyware application! For sure though it is important to note that phone spyware available online is illegal in most countries without the consent of the user (or a warrant).

So whilst parents could potentially put the spyware on their children’s telephones to protect them, if a husband puts it on his wife’s phone without her knowledge this is an illegal invasion of privacy.

Indonesia Private Investigation Agency (IPIA) and our sister agency Bali Eye Private Investigation Agency (BEPIA) are fully registered agencies offering investigation services to the private and business sectors throughout Indonesia and South East Asia.