There is Room at the Table: Women in Aviation

When young girls are growing up, the adjectives used to describe their behaviors and personality are not typically the same ones used as their male counterparts. Girls who are outspoken and confident in who they are can often be described as “Bossy” or considered abrasive, while their male classmates are regarded as well-spoken leaders.

This type of language deters young women from taking up leadership qualities because they, understandably so, do not like their qualities and personalities to be viewed as negative or unattractive. They take back seat roles so that others can’t criticize them for their “Strong” personalities.

Even in today’s society, with as much progress that has been made, there are significantly fewer women in front-row leadership roles.

Women in the Front-Row Seat

The Aircraft pilot career, a literal front-row-seat leadership role, has plenty of space for women. In 2021 alone, the aviation field will need nearly 30,000 new pilots despite the lingering effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic (Hemmerdinger, 2021). Yet, out of the 333,000 active pilots worldwide (Mazareanu, 2020), less than 10% are women (Pilot Institute, n.d.).

As you can see, there is plenty of room for women at the table, but most do not ask for a seat.

Why is this? For some, it may be because they genuinely do not have an interest in taking up those roles. There can be a lot of pressure, or they may be more interested in a lower-pressure job. That is completely understandable. However, many women are natural leaders and enjoy being in that role. They just weren’t as encouraged to develop those skills as much as their classmates growing up.

The great thing is neuroplasticity, the ability for your brain to learn and develop new skills, remains in your brain for the entirety of your life. Whatever age a woman is at, she can develop and learn new skills, aviation leadership or not.

Pilots are some of the most visible professionals and leaders in aviation. However, there are an endless amount of opportunities and skills women and young girls can learn to get involved and begin a career in the aviation industry.

Not in the Front Row, but Definitely Not in the Back Row Either

For those who are less interested in a front-row leadership role, there are jobs that are less visible. Although they are less visible, women in these roles are considered leaders because of how they are helping our world move forward through engineering and technological advancements. Women have played a massive role in the development of technology, specifically in aviation. They have been involved in both aircraft research and engineering since the 1940s. Mary Feik is noted as one of the first female aircraft engineers and was involved in the development of crucial technology for the ATC command during WWII (Women in Aviation, n.d.).

Women will continue to lead the world’s aviation development and maintenance by beginning a career in aircraft mechanics, avionic or aerospace engineering, avionic tech, or air traffic control. If you are someone who has ever been told that you talk too much, thank them for the note and take up a career in air traffic control. All of these careers play a vital role in our society’s ability to move through the sky, and they are perfectly suited for women to pursue.

Realizing there is Room at the Table

The lack of female representation in these fields may also be that many do not realize these jobs are an option when the time comes to choose a career path in their early twenties. This is why airlines and organizations are now starting recruitment early and handing out scholarships to young women interested in pursuing a career to diversify the field. United Airlines (whose chief pilot is a woman), along with the organization Women in Aviation, holds an annual career day in order to recruit diverse groups of young people. They award scholarships for future training. Moreover, Delta hosts a flight entirely staffed and flown by women every year to open young girls’ eyes to the possibility of a future in STEM (Janewells, 2019).

The language we use to speak around and describe young women and girls impacts the trajectory of how they view the world and what is available to them as careers. If we encourage young girls to have strong voices or opinions, when they reach the time in their lives where they see a table with plenty of seats available, they will have enough confidence in their voice, abilities, and who they are as a person to firmly take a seat.