Female PIs breaking the stereotypes

Soldier alleged to be Kate Warne in disguise - United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division (1864) Credit: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

This International Women's Day we celebrate women working as private detectives

As with many other careers, there are many common misconceptions when it comes to private investigators. One of them being that it is a job for men. The media has contributed to this perception: the most famous of all fictitious detectives, Sherlock Holmes, is a man, and so are most of the PI characters from novels and film productions. Private investigators are not regulated in the United Kingdom, but in America many states require private eyes to be licensed. Based on the registers in the US, it is estimated that 15% of them are women. It is indeed a male-dominated field, but there are still many female private detectives out there.

The first registered female private investigator was Kate Warne, an American agent who helped saving Abraham Lincoln’s life. In 1856, aged 23, she turned up at the Pinkerton Detective Agency asking for a job. According to the company’s archives, Allan Pinkerton was surprised when he learnt Warne was not looking for a clerical role. “It is not the custom to employ women detectives,” Pinkerton told her. But Warne “argued her point of view eloquently” and was hired. Pinkerton would later write: “She succeeded far beyond my utmost expectations. Mrs. Warne never let me down.” Warne played a key role in the operation that sabotaged an attempt of murder on President Lincoln. She died from pneumonia in 1868. By that time, the company had already established a “Female Detective Bureau”.

In the UK there is a company fully led by women called The Lady Private Investigators Detective Agency. Affiliated to the Association of British Investigators, they describe themselves as “a team of women who provide a caring, confidential, and cost efficient investigations service.”

You can learn more about the role of private investigators in the March issue of UNHEARD