Soaring Above and Beyond.
Blog post written by Nazia Tabasum A
For ages, the aviation industry was once predominantly a male dominant field. As the years passed, women started to achieve remarkable progress in various sectors, and thus they also made significant strides in the aviation department.
Both in civil aviation (which includes general and commercial) and non-civil aviation, the contributions of women are increasing day by day in these current times.
Some notable female pilots, like Sarla Thukral (first woman pilot), Durba Banerjee (first female pilot in the Indian Air Force), and Captain Prem Mathur (first woman commercial pilot), created a history in the Indian aviation sector by breaking the gender stereotypes during the 90s period.
According to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots, India globally ranks top as women in the aviation industry contribute 12.4% compared to other countries.
Also, India’s Airline Regulatory Body released a report during March 2023 which stated that almost 15% of women are pilots in the Indian Airlines.
Not just being pilots, women also dominate in various other aviation roles, like aviation and air force engineers, aviation technicians, air traffic controllers, aviation management and cabin crews.
As per global survey which was calculated years ago, women pursuing careers in the aviation domain have increased from 4.5% (2016) to 4.9% (2021) globally.
Although the increased percentage is not up to a satisfactory level, we can see that the numbers are increasing gradually.
Recently I happened to meet my friend who works as an aircraft technician for a reputed airline. I am grateful to receive a detailed response from her regarding the role of women in the aviation field.
What are the challenges faced by women in the aviation industry? Does male domination still exist?
The aviation industry in India has developed enormously in the past decade. But there are a few challenges, especially for women, which act as roadblocks like low pay scale, varying shifts, sleep deprivation and distant work locations.
Along with these challenges, the job requires 100% of the physical work on the aircraft, like weight lifting, which needs to be done during the aircraft maintenance.
Yes, male domination still exists in the aviation industry, but it has been reduced over the decades as women are becoming passionate about pursuing careers in the aviation field.
How has the industry developed in terms of gender diversity? Did you observe any positive changes over the years?
Yes, the number of women who have joined during the last 10–12 years in airlines has increased largely. Thanks to the aviation sector boom in India.
Along with aviation, the aerospace sector in India also gives many job opportunities for women, where gender diversity issues are comparatively fewer.
Are there any programs or specific training within the industry to encourage women to excel in aviation roles? Have you ever participated in any of those initiative programs?
Although I am unaware of specific programs especially for women, as the industry treats both men and women based on their experience and the licenses they hold.
But many Indian airlines have an opportunity for employees to apply for internal jobs who fulfill the criteria in terms of license exams and experience. They are eligible to get promotion without any partiality if they are selected through the interview process.
Any advice that you would like to share for young women who are aspiring to pursue their career in the aviation sector?
If there is a passion and consistently ready to do hard work, there are many opportunities in the aviation domain for women.
There are various job vacancies, like air hostess, aircraft engineers & technicians, airline pilots, flight operations and commercial operations etc.
There are also opportunities in airports as well as in the Aerodrome Operations/ATC etc.
To summarize, women are not only excelling in the field of aviation but are also making incredible achievements which are creating histories for the future.
Most prominently, they have changed the perspective to an extent that this sector doesn’t only belong to men, women can also dominate through their skills and experiences.