Lit Review

Mullholand 1
Maggie Mullholand
Eng 1201
Professor Barnes
03/21/2021
Literary review
My topic is that The ratio of male pilots to female pilots is a problem in the aviation
industry. There is a significant difference between the numbers of women to men who are pilots.
In my essay I explore why there is such a difference, and what should be done about it. Maternity
leave, the learning environment, and other factors that result in the problem.
It is a common misconception that women are less capable of being a pilot. This is far
from the truth. Stephen Rice, a professor at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University writes,
“Knowledgeable people in the aviation industry are well aware that female pilots are, and have
been, unquestionably equal in skill levels with their male counterparts. In fact, some studies show
that female pilots are generally less risk-taking, and thus arguably safer compared to male pilots.
Either way, there is no evidence indicating that female pilots are inferior in any way. As a
scientist, it is my job to look at the data and wonder why the data do not align with public
opinion” (Rice). This reading shows that the thought that women are less capable, or not fit to be
pilots is straight up wrong.
When looking at why there are significantly less women in aviation the flight training can
be a factor. The learning environment for a woman of any age is daunting. Being fully surrounded
by men during training adds extra pressure to perform. “Along with this sense of alienation is the
feeling among female flight students that they need to perform better than their male counterparts
to even be considered an average pilot. This increased pressure to perform, along with the lack of
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emotional and social support, can be enough to discourage even the most brilliant female flight
students” (Woman Pilot Statistics: Female representation in Aviation). Men will not feel these
same pressures as women going into this field because aviation is more accepting towards men.
When women decide to start a family while working in the airlines, there is a new hurdle of
problems. Katherine Lagrave writes, “...once female pilots give birth, most major airlines don’t
offer paid maternity leave or alternative ground assignments for breastfeeding mothers, according
to the New York Times. Local laws to protect against pregnancy discrimination have also been
tricky for crew to navigate, as they fly from city to city (and back again), and unions, mostly
male-dominated, have been relatively slow to take up women’s issues. Given that airlines set their
policies for pilots based on agreements negotiated by unions, this is important” (Lagrave). Since
there is little representation for women in the unions, which speak for all of the workers, women
have a small voice when it comes to their problems. Like Katherine Lagrave said, Women have to
use their days off when they're pregnant.
Since many civilian aircraft also have a military version, eventually these specifications
found their way into practically all commercially produced aircraft made in the United States in
the last 40 years”...“One of the unconsidered consequences of excluding the under 5th
percentile(too small) was to vastly disadvantage the female population. Seventy- seven percent of
the female population falls below the male 5th percentile in sitting height, and 27% fall below in
buttocks to knee length (Alkov, 1997)” (Howell, ERAU). From this, we can gather that the design
of planes was meant to cater to the way that men fly the plane, and women are to a disadvantage
from the design, since women are built differently than the average 5th to 95th percentile man.
Since there is little representation of women in the aviation field, we will be looking at why
women are less likely to continue their training, compared to men. The average height of a woman
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in america is 5’4”. I am 5’5”, and even when I get in the left seat to fly, I have to extend my feet
and sit up in the chair just so I can have somewhat of a grip on the rudders.
Looking back on history, there are many female pilots that have defied the stereotypes and
are breaking ground for all women. Just in 2016, Stephanie Johnson was the first female african
american to become a captain at Delta airlines, a large commercial flight company. In 2017, for
the first time, two black female pilots flew together. Delta Captain Johnson said to a Delta staff
writer, “ There are so few women in this profession and too many women who still don’t think of
it as a career option. When I was hired by Northwest Airlines, there were 12 African-American
women airline pilots in the country at the major airlines, and I knew all of their names” (Johnson).
The airline industry is majority men, so when women who are from different backgrounds come
together, it is a big advancement for women in the field.
Bibliography
Howell, C. D. (2000). Gender Differences in an Aviation Physiology Environment. Journal of
Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research, 10(1). Retrieved from
https://commons.erau.edu/jaaer/vol10/iss1/3.
“Delta's First Black Female Captain: 'Taking off Was the Thrill of My Life'.” Delta News Hub,
2017, www.news.delta.com/deltas-first-black-female-captain-taking-was-thrill-my-life.
LaGrave, Katherine. “Why There Aren't More Female Pilots.” Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Mar. 2018,
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www.cntraveler.com/story/why-there-arent-more-female-pilots.
Rice, Stephen. “Aviation Needs More Women On The Flight Deck - And In All Roles.”
Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 12 Mar. 2019,
www.forbes.com/sites/stephenrice1/2019/03/11/aviation-needs-more-women-on-the-flight-
deck-and-in-all-roles/?sh=803573bcc80e.
“Women Pilot Statistics: Female Representation in Aviation.” Pilot Institute, 18 Nov. 2020,
https://pilotinstitute.com/women-aviation-statistics/#:~:text=It's%20quite%20encouraging
%20that%20there,would%20consider%20success%20in%20representation.

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Mullholand 1

pilots is straight up wrong.

use their days off when they're pregnant.

together, it is a big advancement for women in the field.

Howell, C. D. (2000). Gender Differences in an Aviation Physiology Environment. Journal of

Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research, 10(1). Retrieved from

Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 12 Mar. 2019,

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