# FBI Women? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 11, 2009, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166 "2009-11-11T09:57:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/1 "2009-11-11T09:57:10Z")
This is something I realized the other day, it seems like in film and TV, if there is some team that is specifically identified as “FBI” it is almost certainly going to be headed by a woman. V - Erica Evans Fringe - Olivia Dunham Profiler - Samantha Waters, Rachel Burke Silence of the Lambs, etc. - Clarice Starling X-Files - Dana Scully That might not seem all that long/impressive a list (though I’m probably missing one or two), but how many CIA, Quantico, CTU, etc., female leads have you seen? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/2 "2009-11-11T11:43:45Z")
Clarice Starling wasn’t the head of a team in _The Silence of the Lambs_. She was still in training. She wasn’t even the head of a team in _Hannibal_, which was set about ten years into her career. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/3 "2009-11-11T12:06:11Z")
Dana Scully wasn’t the primary investigator on **X-Files** until the last season, and she was still subordinate to Asst. Dir. Skinner. I recall three FBI agents on **Twin Peaks** , played by Kyle MacLachlan, Miguel Ferrer and Chris Isaak. Who am I forgetting? \*\* Without a Trace\*\* has a male lead. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/4 "2009-11-11T13:10:17Z")
She’s not FBI, but [Amanda Waller](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Waller) has been the head of various covert government teams in the DC universe. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/5 "2009-11-11T14:01:58Z")
The FBI team on Flash Forward is headed by a black guy. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/6 "2009-11-11T14:09:14Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > Dana Scully wasn’t the primary investigator on **X-Files** until the last season, and she was still subordinate to Asst. Dir. Skinner. She definitely wasn’t his boss. She was his partner, and he was the one who identified most of their cases and then convinced her they should look into it. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/7 "2009-11-11T15:06:22Z")
Headed may have been a poor word. That they are the lead (or in the case of X-Files co-lead) of the show, is my point. ---
**Author:** ![StoutHearted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@StoutHearted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StoutHearted)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/8 "2009-11-11T15:19:24Z")
Olivia Dunham is not the head of the Fringe team - Broyles is. In fact, it seems that most of the women on your list aren’t the boss, but work under a male boss; I’m at least certain this is true for Dana Scully and Clarice Starling. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/9 "2009-11-11T15:20:33Z")
**Bones**. Booth is an FBI agent; when I was still watching it, there were several other male agents as guest stars. IRCC, his boss was male, too. ---
**Author:** ![StoutHearted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@StoutHearted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StoutHearted)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/10 "2009-11-11T15:21:26Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Headed may have been a poor word. That they are the lead (or in the case of X-Files co-lead) of the show, is my point. Ah, OK. I never saw it as a problem, but I’m female myself. Also, I don’t know the gender statistics of the FBI. I imagine that women are making bigger strides and gaining authority there the same as everywhere else. Does this bother you, or are you merely curious? ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/11 "2009-11-11T15:25:19Z")
> [@StoutHearted](#): > > Olivia Dunham is not the head of the Fringe team - Broyles is. In fact, it seems that most of the women on your list aren’t the boss, but work under a male boss; I’m at least certain this is true for Dana Scully and Clarice Starling. The same is true for Profiler, which was headed by Bailey Malone. Sam Waters (and the other chick) were only the forensic psychologist of the team. But thanks for mentioning a very under-rated, but fantastic, show!! Also: if these people count as the ‘leads’ in these teams, then certainly Sydney Bristow counts in Alias, so there’s one for the CIA. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/12 "2009-11-11T15:32:16Z")
CTU (well, CTU-LA) has had several female heads over the years. Michelle, Alberta Green, Erin Driscoll, hell, I think even Nina was head of CTU-LA briefly at one point. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/13 "2009-11-11T16:05:06Z")
> [@StoutHearted](#): > > Does this bother you, or are you merely curious? It seemed statistically unlikely for all female governmental leads to be specifically “FBI”, which to me indicates that Hollywood or something in society has a natural inclination to place women in this branch of service out of all possible ones. I just thought I would bring it up since it was interesting. Like TV Tropes. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/14 "2009-11-11T16:07:01Z")
> [@infinitii](#): > > Also: if these people count as the ‘leads’ in these teams, then certainly Sydney Bristow counts in Alias, so there’s one for the CIA. Again, I mean “lead” in reference to the show not in terms of their position in the government hierarchy. If you go that way, well _everyone_ has a boss so the term is a bit meaningless. Lead = Main character ---
**Author:** ![SecondJudith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@SecondJudith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecondJudith)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/15 "2009-11-11T16:20:28Z")
More women are becoming TV leads in general? That might not be actually true – I’ve no idea about the statistics. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/16 "2009-11-11T16:27:21Z")
Myra is Secret Service, not FBI, but she has a lead role in _Warehouse 13_, and the Big Boss appears to be Ms. Fredericks, but her affiliation with government/other entities is unspecified… ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/17 "2009-11-11T17:21:59Z")
Veronica Mars was supposed to be an FBI trainee in season 4, but the pilot for that looked pretty awful so for once it might have been for the best that it was cancelled. I just wish they had wrapped up season 3 first. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/18 "2009-11-11T17:43:11Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > It seemed statistically unlikely for all female governmental leads to be specifically “FBI”, which to me indicates that Hollywood or something in society has a natural inclination to place women in this branch of service out of all possible ones. And they’re disproportionately hot, too! Why is Hollywood lying to us?! ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/19 "2009-11-11T18:07:30Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > And they’re disproportionately hot, too! Why is Hollywood lying to us?! Well the question is “why”? It’s obvious why hot women star in TV and movies, but why FBI, specifically, out of everything? ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166/20 "2009-11-11T18:43:50Z")
I think it’s just that there are more shows about the FBI in general (besides those in the OP and elsewhere in the thread, _Numbers_ and \*Criminal Minds \*also involve FBI agents/teams) Besides, there are female lead characters in all the shows about some sort of government or quasi-government agency: Alias: Sidney Bristow (CIA) Chuck: Sarah Walker & the Brigadier General (also CIA) NCIS: Ziva, Abby, Caitlin … plus an actual female boss, Director Shepard JAG: Mac, as well as several other secondary female characters 24: several mentioned upthread (CTU) You may as well ask why there are so many hot female cops and CSIs - it’s generally accepted that hot women + ass kicking is usually a great combination when it comes to ratings, and the easiest way to get your hot female lead to kick ass regularly is to put her in some sort of law enforcement type job. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-women/517166.md?page=2)