Sixteen women have filed a lawsuit against the FBI, claiming sexual discrimination and accusing it of running "a good old boy network" in its training program.
Male instructors exposed the former recruits to a hostile work environment, sexual harassment and inappropriate jokes, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in federal district court in Washington on Wednesday.
Seven of the women still work for the FBI and some did not use their full names in the suit, fearing retaliation, according to a court filing.
According to the suit, the bureau's instructors are mostly men and they penalised and dismissed female trainees at a significantly higher rate than male trainees.
Some of the litigants accused the instructors of making inappropriate jokes and making multiple sexual advances on at least one of the female trainees.
The lawsuit asked that the bureau review its training evaluation process, pay US$300,000 (NZ$460,000) to each of the women for emotional stress, and that it hire more female instructors.
The FBI said in a statement to the New York Times, which first reported the lawsuit, that it was "committed to fostering a work environment where all of our employees are valued and respected".
A representative for the bureau could not be reached early on Thursday.
Reuters
