Collegiate Aviation Students Perceptions of Female Representation in Collegiate Aviation and the U.S. Aviation Industry

Abstract

Verbatim from Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons. Not paraphrased, not summarized.

While most industries have made noticeable increases of female professionals represented in the workplace, the U.S. aviation industry is still behind. According to Women in Aviation International (WAI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the encouragement and advancement of women in all aviation career fields and interests, women make up less than 30% of non-pilot aviation careers and 7% of pilots are women (Women in Aviation International, 2019). This study sought the perceptions of collegiate aviation students concerning female representation in the aviation industry. Furthermore, this study sought to identify if female students encounter any difficulties based on gender at the collegiate aviation level that potentially affects their overall representation in aviation at the collegiate and industry levels. According to the responses from 124 collegiate aviation students this study found that overall, collegiate aviation students consider the U.S. aviation industry and collegiate aviation male dominate, currently and historically. Collegiate aviation students also perceived that gender barriers and bias exist in favor and in opposition of female aviation students. Collegiate aviation students expressed negative and positive perceptions about female representation, gender barriers, and gender biases for females in aviation. This research sought to aid in the identification of difficulties experienced by female collegiate aviation students in hopes to help lessen the representation gap in the aviation industry as a whole.

Authors

• Casebolt, Mallory K. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Khojasteh, Jam Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Keywords

• Education