Why aeronautical careers largely remain preserve of men?

The aviation industry still remains overwhelmingly male even though women are overcoming prejudice and have made inroads into the sector in recent years.

Less than six per cent of pilots at the world's leading airlines are women as per a study conducted by the Aviation Institute and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

According to Rebecca Lutte, an associate professor at the institute, only eight of the largest 100 carriers in the world in terms of passengers carried have female bosses.

KLM's Marjan Rintel joined the list of these female bosses, which already included Air France's Anne Rigail and Aer Lingus' Lynne Embleton, on July 1.

Along with scant representation of women in training manuals barriers faced by aspiring female aviators include uniforms designed for men.

The pervasive sexism and aggressive sexual behaviour in the aviation industry was highlighted by a survey which stated that 71 per cent of women suffered some form of workplace harassment. It was conducted by Women in Aviation International in 2018.

Making it a priority to reduce inequality in the industry, US carrier United committed that at least half of the 5,000 pilots the carrier intends to train will be women by 2030.

According to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots, 13 per cent of Air India's pilots are women.

Earlier this week, Canada's CAE simulation technologies and training group signed a partnership agreement with no-frills European airline EasyJet at the Farnborough air show.

CEO of Airbus UpNext, Sandra Bour Schaeffer, believes that it is important to have female role models who have already succeeded. The key is to bring young talent onboard and emphasise training, the Franco-German engineer added.

The first woman in the world to obtain a pilot's licence was France's Raymonde de Laroche, while US flyer Amelia Earhart was the first woman to cross the Atlantic by plane under her own steam.

The paramilitary Women Airforce Service Pilots programme which supported the US air force during World war II included several female aviators who fought for their countries.

(With inputs from agencies)

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