Taking Command in a Male Dominated Profession: The Role of Female Pilots in Gender Empowerment

Abstract:

Although women make up the majority of the work force in the tourism industry, the aviation industry is largely male dominated. Ideas of occupational image mean that in today's Aircraft women are often confined to working in the customer service cabin steward roles instead of the cockpit. This paper will address how female pilots can become empowered along with changes in gender roles.


Keywords:

Gender, inequality, empowerment, discrimination, stereotypes, aviation, tourism



Discussion:

There has been extensive literature available on gender inequality in male dominated professions from sources such as the Ashcraft (2007), Fieseler (2014) and Baum (2013), however this paper will aim to address how gender roles have transformed over time and how women today can be empowered as pilots in the tourism industry.

In World War Two gender roles were put aside as the United Kingdom was forced to utilize all of its resources in order to help safeguard the country’s freedom. The Air Transport Auxiliary – part of the Royal Air Force, was home 168 female pilots (The Daily Mail, 2015). These women were all trained as a result of the countless losses of male aircrew in the War. Stereotypes of women were challenged and as a result women would be more accepted into the male dominated environment. (Fieseler et al, 2014).According to Faith Bennet, an Air Transport Auxiliary Pilot, ‘’ 'Once we were there was no sex discrimination,' she said. 'In fact, I don't think those words had been invented back then. It really was the best job to have during the War because it was exciting, and we could help the war effort. In many ways we were trailblazers for female pilots...' (The Daily Mail, 2015). This quote demonstrates how this incredible woman was empowered by being a pilot. However the fact that she states that she had not heard the phrase ‘’sex discrimination’’ at that time, does not mean that it wasn’t present and could suggest that issues of gender inequality went unnoticed and were potentially the social norm.

Today, issues of gender inequality are still evident, Ashcraft, 2007 comments upon occupational identity, a theory which underpins conceptions and stereotypes of certain professions. In the case of pilots, they are stereo-typically white, male and middle to upper class (Ashcraft, 2007). Such pre conceptions arguably restrict diversity and could ultimately lead to less women training to become pilots. Conversely it could be suggested that if more women become pilots, the occupational identity of pilots would eventually change and ultimately society’s pre conception of what constitutes a pilot would be changed, as happened in World War Two Britain with the women of the Air Transport Auxiliary. Therefore over time, society's stereotypes of certain professions with in the tourism industry could also change (Baum, 2013)

To help understand the aviation industry from a woman’s perspective, an interview was carried out with a woman currently training at an unnamed professional pilot training school. Issues surrounding working in a male dominated environment were discussed and insightful data was collected. When asked about women who choose to train to become pilots the participant stated ‘’I do think it will inspire people, I saw a women pilot and thought ‘’yeah I can do that too, why not?’’. This shows that by seeing someone of the same sex take on a male dominated environment it can inspire others to do also. As a result it could be argued that it is the women who strive become pilots who transform the occupational image (Ashcraft, 2007). She then states ‘’…some of the male instructors favour girls. Which obviously benefits me.’’ Although the reasons to why females were sometimes favoured over males in pilot training were not discussed, the quote shows that some women are being prioritized in the training. The participant also states that ‘’…all of the instructors are male…’’ this supports that the aviation industry is male dominated, however if the instructors are willing to prioritize women in the training process, in the future there may be more female instructors and ultimately a more diverse occupational image.

Whilst talking about her time in pilot training the participant states ''… I have become a better person. I’ve become more confident. The lads as such drag me along with them so I aspire to be just as good as them.''. Although this is a singular case and conclusions cannot be drawn for every woman in the aviation industry, by mentioning that her male colleagues ‘’drag her along’’ implies a certain level of camaraderie and support at the flying school, suggesting that there is a culture which generally encourages women who wish to become pilots and eventually take command in the male dominated industry.


Conclusion:

In conclusion, the interview with the female participant highlighted that at her specific pilot training school; women were encouraged and sometimes even prioritized over their male colleagues. This implies that restrictive gender roles could be changing in society and women are now more welcomed to the industry. As a result the occupational image of a pilot may eventually change to become more diverse and ultimately more inclusive to women. Consequently this may lead to a further shift in power relations and allow more women to become empowered through working in what could be seen as traditionally male dominated environments.


References:

Ashcraft, K. (2007). Appreciating the ‘work’ of discourse: occupational identity and difference as organizing mechanisms in the case of Airline Pilots. Feminism Psychology, 10, 2. Available [PDF] at: http://dcm.sagepub.com/content/1/1/9.full.pdf+html . Accessed on 11th March 2016.

Baum, T. (2013). International perspectives on women and work in hotels, catering and tourism. Geneva: ILO. Available [PDF] at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/dgreports/gender/documents/publication/wcms_209867.pdf . Accessed 15th April 2016.

Fieseler, B., Hampf, M., Schwarzkopf, J. (2014). Gendering combat: Military women’s status in Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union during the Second World War. Women’s Studies International Forum 47:115-126.