by Rachna Reiter, AWC Berlin
February 11 was the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and Technology – a day where we not only celebrate the women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), but also try to encourage the next generation of tech-driven females.
In this article I want to specifically focus on the aviation industry. This is a very broad sector: it doesn’t just relate to airlines and airports, but also to manufacturers, ground handling agencies, suppliers of aircraft parts, air traffic controllers and other organizations that provide services within the field. The global aviation industry supports 65.5 million jobs and contributes to 3.6% of the worlds gross domestic product (GDP), equating to the size of the GDP of Switzerland.1 Considering this, what are some of the technical jobs in the aviation industry? There are many – from pilots to engineers, mechanics and designers of aircraft.
Now let us look at some statistics: female pilots account for 5–7% of all pilots globally, with India being the country with the most (12.4%) and the United Kingdom with the fewest (5%).2 Being a female pilot and drawing from personal experience, I have not seen significant growth in this percentage. I started my career flying commercially in 2004–2005. Every time I had to go through a training, I sat in a class full of male candidates as the only female. Throughout the years this hasn't changed much… if I am lucky, I may see one other female candidate in the same room!
So why is it that there is such a low percentage of female pilot candidates? This is a question that does seem slightly complicated to answer. Several research studies have been done, one of them being completed in 2019 by a European airline.3 This survey was conducted among 500 young adults between 18 and 30 years of age, of whom 350 were female and 150 were male. The survey indicated that 40% of the girls thought they didn’t have the necessary skills for the job, and 35% indicated that it was never brought to their attention at school.
What can we do to improve these statistics? In my opinion, the encouragement of girls in STEM fields has to start from a young age – and by “young,” I mean “as young as possible.” This starts with eliminating the kind of patriarchal mindset that many societies have been built upon and instead opening them to other possibilities. For example, why do we tend to buy a Lego set for toddler boys and not for toddler girls? Why are we programming the kids at such a young age? Many times we don’t realise that ourselves. According to EuroScientist, an official journal of Euroscience, disapproval of such biases and attitudes can keep the child from exploring and developing STEM skills.4 This also seems to be the top reason why women are under-represented in male-dominated STEM areas.
Nowadays there are several programs where women from different STEM careers hold talks at schools to encourage the young girls. One such program is The Aviatrix Project in the UK, which aims to ‟raise awareness, particularly amongst women and girls but also young people from diverse backgrounds, about aviation as a potential career choice.”6 Another way is to mentor young women into a STEM field. The ALTA-mentoring scheme by the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter (WAAC) is a program where women are supported by professional women in the aviation and aerospace industry.7 Other options include local female pilot organizations, some of which offer the opportunity to receive partial scholarships to pursue flight training.
It is clear that the under-representation of women in STEM fields is a complicated issue to solve – one which requires a sustainable solution and not a ‟one time wonder.” The encouragement and interest in STEM fields has to be introduced, developed and nurtured from a young age and throughout adolescence and this can only be done when parents, schools and organizations collaborate toward a common goal: bridging the gap of females in STEM fields.
About the Author:
Rachna Sharma Reiter is an A320 pilot based in Berlin. She writes thehttps://she-pilots.com blog trying to inspire young girls (and women) to pursue careers in the STEM fields. You can follow her journey on Instagram @RachnaReiter and Twitter @ShePilots. Author reference image/profile: https://www.thefemaleleadsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/97511430_239818293958735_5432785694139351040_n.jpg
Article References:
1 https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/pr/2018-10-02-01/
2 https://www.statista.com/statistics/1177746/female-pilots-countries-worldwide/
3 https://mediacentre.aerlingus.com/pressrelease/details/108/11267
4 https://www.euroscientist.com/how-can-i-get-my-child-interested-in-stem/
5 https://mediacentre.aerlingus.com/pressrelease/details/108/11267
6 http://www.theaviatrixproject.com/
Image courtesy of Unsplash.com
