It is a big misconception but unfortunately one that still exists that women do not work as bodyguards or at least would not make good bodyguards; well this is of course untrue.   Women do work as bodyguards and have done so for many years.
Female Bodyguards are growing in popularity. This may be due to many factors, such as the type of clients requiring protection, be they middle eastern princesses who are more comfortable with female rather than male protection or the fact that people have accepted that it’s a brains not brawn industry!

You may come across ‘the male ego’ quite frequently, both from men working in the industry, as bodyguards, drivers etc. or indeed from Joe Soap on the street. Men who think that a woman’s place is at home, possibly in an office but certainly not out working as a bodyguard. It’s doubtful this attitude will ever change one hundred percent. There will always be the begrudgers and indeed the plain out jealous, who could only in their wildest dreams imagine working at such an unusual profession and unfortunately believe it or not the begrudgers are not always men! Yes indeed many women, even in this day and age share some of these aged sexist views. In saying that there are of course some great people, both male and female out there working the “circuit” as it is commonly referred to. Remember it is a challenge to step out of the mould and do something different, something that’s not on a College/ University application form but it’s also very rewarding.

Women in the past have had a bad name in the industry as being inferior to the men or what could be seen as having less training, if any. It’s not necessarily that they were any worse at their job than the majority of men, many of whom have had just as little, if any training too. It is just that they stood out more noticeably as there were far fewer of them. Training bodies such as the I.B.A realized this was a problem and created the Women’s Bureau, solely put in place to deal with issues facing women in the industry. The training is of course the same for men and women, with just a few minor adaptations made for men/women can make all the difference, remembering that we are build differently after all.

The simple fact is that a successful bodyguard should never have to use violence or draw a weapon. The belief in “brawn over brains” is a misconception. With that in mind, there is no reason to doubt a woman can successfully manage the job.

There is also a “boys club” attitude towards the Close Protection industry, simply because the pool from which a bodyguard is selected has traditionally been from a male-dominated workforce; law enforcement, military personnel, martial arts and the like. Because women have now been more integrated into these traditionally male careers, they too, are candidates worthy of consideration for careers in close protection. Although it is important to realize it is not essential to have a police, military, martial arts etc background.

Female Bodyguards are just as well trained in such areas as; Threat assessment, defense and restraint tactics, firearms, protective driving etc as their male counterparts. In addition, women have some highly prized skills that should be considered... The ability to listen carefully, utilize intuitive skills and successfully manage conflict negotiations.

Women celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan, Beyonce Knowles, Rhianna and J K Rowling, to name just a few, often gravitate toward female bodyguards. The preference is to have a protector who is attentive, alert, quick on their feet, and won’t draw attention in public, the way a 6′5, 350 pound man would. For some VIP’s, even having a Bodyguard on hand can feel disruptive to living a “normal” life. For example a female celebrity accompanied by a female Bodyguard is a more natural fit and less obtrusive, just as a female bodyguard with children appears much more natural than an awkwardly large man would appear. Remembering that as a Bodyguard we are the grey person not the “Man in Black”, the idea is to blend in, not to stick out and potentially draw more attention to your client.



I.B.A Bodyguard with U.A.E Princess
Female clients with female Bodyguards appear more natural, the Bodyguard can often be mistaken as a friend.

And it’s not only women that use female bodyguards. It’s now becoming more popular to see men with female bodyguards. There are various reasons for this; again coming back to the brains not brawn attitude, also practical reasons, many places such as restaurants do not allow “security” inside. They can come in initially to check that everything is satisfactory but then are commonly asked to wait in the lobby or outside. Female’s can get around this quite easily and more discretely, they can come in and sit down at the table or at a table nearby and nobody would be any the wiser. She places herself in an appropriate location to be able to react if a situation should arise.



I.B.A Bodyguard with Film Star Jackie Chan
Women can easily be mistaken as a partner rather than a protector.

Also from a legal perspective female bodyguards are a far safer bet. You hear about Bodyguards “attacking” papparazzi all the time in the media, these Bodyguards always tend to be male, as the footage that is conveniently capsured by another photographer tends to show.
Women are much less intimadating. A woman putting their hand up to protect their client is seen as far less aggressive than a large man carrying out the same action, and therefore less likely to provoke aggression from the Papparazzi or whoever. Less aggression leads to less law suites in the long run and therefore a quieter life for your V.I.P, which remember is the reason you, the Bodyguard have been employed in the first place!