Gender Equality Issues in The Aviation Industry

Gender equality refers to the view that men and women should receive equal treatment and should not be discriminated by gender. This is the goal of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which seeks to create equality in law and social situations, such as in democratic activities, and to guarantee equal pay for equal work. Is not surprising that women contributed a lot to the aviation industry, and back in the days women were growing in the aviation industry. According to Wikipedia, within the first two decades of powered flight, all women around the world except Antarctica had begun to fly, perform in aerial shows, parachute, and even transport passengers. They were increasingly involved in establishing distance records, aerobatic records and pressing for airplanes to be used for disaster and public health services. During World War II, women from every continent also helped with war efforts and though mostly restricted from military flight many of the female pilots flew in auxiliary services. The first woman known to fly was Élisabeth Thible, who was a passenger in an untethered hot air balloon.

In 1911 Quimby became the first female pilot to be granted a pilot license by the Aero Club of America. In 1932, Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean solo. Jacqueline Cochran was an acclaimed advocate of women participating in the air force and she wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt during the Second World War, proposing the idea of a women’s flying division. Coleman was inspired to fly by the heroic pilots of the First World War, but she was unfairly disqualified from attending pilot school in the US as she was an African American woman, is evident that the discrimination started in a very early stage. Sally Ride was the first American woman to travel into space. Women pilots were also called "aviatrices". Women who have been successful in various aviation fields have served as mentors to younger women, helping them along in their careers, like an inspiration, like idols to follow. In 1930, there were around 200 women pilots but in five years there were more than 700. Since the 1970s, women have been allowed to participate in military service in most countries. Women of Aviation Worldwide Week has reported that after 1980, the increase in gender parity for women pilots in the United States was stagnant. This information is enough to show that back in the days women were playing an important role in the aviation industry. However, women were primarily restricted to serving in support fields like flight simulation training, air traffic control, and as flight attendants.

There were some passengers who will not fly an airplane piloted by a woman. In 1991, a passenger on SN Brussels Airlines refused to fly on a plane piloted by Barbara Collinet. IndiGo Airlines flight was delayed nearly 2 hours because a passenger "caused a ruckus over the fact that the plane's pilot was a woman". It is possible that in the past people used to think differently, but now? now everything must be changed, we are living in a world where women and men are seen equally, then why this discrimination is still going on? We must first change, it is important that we start thinking differently so the future of women in the aviation industry will be surprising and positive. Gender equality is one of the most important tools in our society, because this will help to improve not only our present but also a better future for the next generations. If we talk about gender equality in the aviation industry, we will be able to see the big change that is happening in the recent years. in this essay we will be able to see what is happening in the aviation industry. Many girls are getting educated to enter this industry but is their effort worth it? Are they getting what they should receive? Are they treated like men? Many people say that is because of the society in which we live. . . but I would say the problem is not the society, we are the problem!

The change will happen if we first accept that everyone is equal, because before giving equal rights to women in the aviation industry we must accept the fact that everyone is equal. Today women's participation in the aviation sector is still low but growing. Women often had to work hard to prove themselves as capable as men in the field. Clare Booth Luce wrote, "Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, 'She doesn't have what it takes. ' They will say, 'Women don't have what it takes. They say women should get paid lower than men because they do less work than men, and because they are WEAK. Well, first women are stronger than men, do you think giving birth is easy? Plus, having an equal balance between work and home, if women can equalize this why can’t the society equalize the rights between the two genders? If you want to bring change be the change, but some people are still stopping the aviation industry to do better, one of the examples is the chief executive of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker, when in one of his interviews he said that a woman could not do his job. This is a perfect example that even now some educated people think like this.

According to a 2017 survey by industry journal Airline Business only 3 per cent of airline chief executives are women, this statistic is enough to show that women are struggling to gain altitude in the aviation industry. When it comes to pilots, the figures are just as unforgiving. In the US in 2017, just 7 per cent of 609,000 pilots were women, according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration. If this keep happening how will the future of aviation improve for women. UK government found out poor gender pay gaps in the aviation industry. For example, Ryanair’s median hourly rate for women was 72 per cent lower than for men, easyJet’s was 46 per cent lower and British Airways’ was 10 per cent lower. These are not just numbers, but these are the truths of how we consider women, and how we value them. I will be a good airport manager, because I consider myself as a responsible woman, who will be good at the decision-making process. In my opinion time is important so we should know its value, that’s why I don’t like to be late and in return I will expect the same from my employees.

This position will suit me as I can speak 6 languages in which I'm fluent in 5, and this will help me to have no communication problems with my customers and my colleagues as I believe nothing can be successful without communication skills. I haven’t worked in an aviation industry, but I've watched many TV shows that illustrate what happens every day at the airport, behind the scenes. To be successful in this specific role I will need to expand my knowledge about the aviation industry and gain a better understanding of how all the procedures are done, in order to have proper professional skills I will have to gain experience in this particular industry. I believe all these qualities will help me to be a good leader who is able to negotiate when is needed and who can also solve problems in a very limited time. Since my childhood I was interested to work in the aviation industry, I can say that the “environment” attracted me, but growing on I found out more information, opportunities that this industry could give me, one of the main purpose is also that I want to inspire many girls out there who are scared to join this industry as it is considered “men dominated”, I want this “gender equality” to actually be equal.

Nothing is impossible, only we need to keep trying, because that will help us to succeed, and sometimes we will learn from our mistakes. This industry has many opportunities that could change people’s life we just need to be the best, so we could have what we want to achieve. An airport manager’s job is also to support its staff, to motivate them and to help them when they need it, and in my opinion, I will be great at it. As this will help to decrease redundancy and labor turnover, and this will also help the company/airline to gain a positive image, attract new customers and make a strong brand loyalty with new and old customers. And if I keep motivating my staff, that will lead to happy workforce which is the key for a successful airline and also for an industry.