- Posted by: Sanjeev
- 23 Dec, 2023
Gender Roles: Analysis of the effectiveness of Male and Female Private Investigators in India and why men are better detectives
A private detective is a professional investigator hired to conduct confidential inquiries for individuals, businesses, or legal entities. A private detective is also referred to as a private investigator (PI) or a private eye. Private detectives are helpful in gathering information, uncovering facts, developing intelligence, and solving cases, particularly those where government agencies can’t work. Private detectives provide discreet and personalized investigative services in cases like matrimonial disputes, corporate intelligence, theft, due diligence, extramarital affairs, pre-marriage inquiries, employee verifications, etc. Nowadays a lot of detective agencies are operating in India under the garb of “female detective”, “lady detective”, and so on and so forth. In this article, the reasons for the ever-growing detective agency run and operated by females and their efficacy and uses will be explored. The debate of who is a better detective male or female shall also be addressed.
There is a growing demand for private detectives in India and that can be attributed to increased awareness of security and threats, growing litigations, and the need for evidence. Factors such as fraud, infidelity, extramarital affairs, and corporate intelligence have driven individuals and companies to seek private detective services. Therefore the profession has become very lucrative financially but has remained largely unregulated across the country. Due to the absence of stringent conditions, unprofessional individuals have jumped in to earn quick money. The profession of private detective has traditionally been dominated by males but has seen an unprecedented increase in female participation, with some joining for financial reasons. In India, most of the women have jumped into this profession driven by economic motivations. These woman detectives often brag that female detectives are better than males in the field of private investigations.
Why female and ladies detectives are mushrooming in the field of private detective in India?
The sudden surge of women in the private investigations field in India is driven primarily by financial motives. A large section of clients who avail of the services of private investigations are females. Females in India have to face domestic violence, sexual abuse, and infidelity. Females are also more prone to a bad marriage and, hence are skeptical before getting married. Female detectives operate, with a focus on attracting clients dealing with personal issues such as extramarital affairs and infidelity. Female investigators are more successful in luring female clients in general. Female clients also have to discuss post-marriage sexual relations and are more comfortable discussing intimate matters with women. Female private detectives in India also raise the sale pitch by saying that in case of getting caught in an unwarranted situation, female detectives can escape easily, but a male detective can get trapped. They further claim that getting entry to any protected place is easy for a female. Of course, these claims are a bundle of lies to attract clients. A survey of detective agencies managed and operated by females has yielded that, most of these females were earlier front desk executives or saleswomen, in some of the established private investigations companies! These so-called female detectives claim to have picked the trick of the trade from those companies. Imagine the level of professional standards such a woman can offer.
Some women who are so-called “leading female detectives”, propagate that female investigators can easily succeed where men fail, as they are assumed to have a perceived advantage in obtaining information. This narrative is however false as success in the field of investigations does not depend on gender, rather female gender is in a disadvantageous position, which will be discussed in the later part of this write-up. Despite many females taking up the job of private detectives there is a relative scarcity of female detectives. This attracts attention and garners curiosity, and as a result, they get more media coverage. Women private detectives in India, also use this to hilt and use these media interviews as an endorsement of their authenticity. Thus, through these anomalies, ladies in the profession of private investigations overshadow the broader range of skills and expertise, in which they lag their male counterparts. They try to drive the point that in the field and domain of private investigations, females are superior to males. Female investigators also think that being female they can easily escape the law and hence indulge in any wrongdoing. This myth was broken when a few years back Mumbai Police arrested the so-called “first female detective of India”. This female investigator had many clients in Bollywood, she used to illegally procure Call detail records, but eventually, her luck ran out. After her, another female detective was arrested by Delhi Police, who too had to face the consequences of illegally obtaining call detail records.
Cognitive Abilities: The contrast of Male Detectives vs. Female Detectives.
Cognitive abilities are a collection of natural skills, which our brain uses in day-to-day activities. Sex differences between species, make a lot of biological and genetic differences. That is the reason women outperform men in several tasks where fine motor coordination skills are required. Women are no doubt better communicators and have better social perception, they also have an elephantine memory which is all good in the field of private investigations. On the other hand, women have a severe disadvantage in that they are higher in emotional quotient than men. Being emotional doesn’t work in the field of private investigations, where one is required to maintain neutrality and keep emotions aside.
On the other hand, men have better spatial skills than women. Hence they are better at visualizing, rotating, perception, and navigation. Men generally have better analytical skills than women and have greater mathematical aptitude than women. The brain of a male is more analytical and stronger at reasoning and logic. Males also have a greater risk-taking ability in general. All these factors make male detectives far superior to female detectives. This is the reason that policing has been more or less an exclusive domain of males across the globe.
What advantage of a male private investigator and why men are better detectives?
There are many reasons why males are better detectives than females. The world of private detectives is full of testosterone and is often a manly affair. Most potent spies, detectives, and private investigators have been male. This is the reason that the intelligence agency of all the secret services is completely male-dominated. Women detectives have been popularized by crime/mystery novels and cartoons to increase their readership. Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and Anita Blake are all parts of fiction. But real life is quite different than a thriller novel. The job of a private detective is highly demanding and requires a lot of effort. Men are not bound by maternal instincts and can stay away from family and society. They are far more resourceful and logical than women. Men generally are devoid of emotions. Their risk-taking abilities are also great. Men are far better drivers. They also have an inherent advantage that they can remain hidden and camouflaged. To put it in simple terms, if you find a woman and a man driving a bike very fast, which is more likely to catch your eyeballs? Of course women. Being deceptive is the secret of trade in the dark world of private investigators. If one can’t be secretive and the cover is blown, then the investigation ends there. Likely if someone has to stand outside the house of a person who is under observation, then only a male can do it. If one finds a woman standing outside, he can take it as a situation of distress and strangers can start approaching. The work of a private detective also needs long and unusual working hours. Can you imagine a sole woman out on Indian roads in the dead of night? There is always the risk of sexual harassment and physical exhaustion with female detectives. The professional of private investigation requires good physical health and endurance. Men have always been far superior to women in terms of physical attributes.
Why should I hire a detective agency run by males and do they keep female investigators?
Although this may sound misogynist and chauvinist males are way better at managing and operating private detective agencies in India. They have more exposure, expertise, and skill set to deal with any situation arising in the private detective business. Females on the other hand operate with limited knowledge and experience. Clients should never choose detective agencies operated by females. There are certain situations where women are needed as an investigator. These situations can be like following a woman in a female metro coach or hitting a gym reserved for women. But for these situations, woman employees are always there in detective agencies.
