Women in Aviation

I have always been a woman in a man’s field; starting as early as college, when I decided to major in mathematics. Perhaps it was because I was influenced by my grandmother who was a math major and later a high school math teacher. At the time, it never crossed my mind that I was entering a male dominated field. 

I was lucky enough to have gone to a progressive college (Oberlin) where they supported women in math and in every subject the school offered; they never suggested certain majors were only for men.  After graduate school, I set off in a male dominated world and worked at a large Boston bank in a staff position and then at a large US airline.  At both companies, I was one of a few women in a sea of men and each of us had to prove our value every step of the way.  But that changed over time.  By the time I retired, the teams were about 30 to 40 percent female and were all treated with respect. 

Women have been pioneers in aviation since its inception.  E. Lillian Todd was the first woman to design and build an airplane in 1906.  Harriett Quimby was the first American female to get a pilot’s license in 1911.  And more famous, Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1928.  During World War II, the Women Airforce Service Pilots, better known as WASPs, performed many activities crucial to the war effort.  Nearly 2000 women flew planes and cargo across this country, trained male pilots for combat and participated in training activities.

Since the war, the number of professional females in aviation has not grown at an acceptable rate. This field has been dominated by males since the beginning of aviation.  Most of them were former military and eased into their roles in aviation after having the expense of training paid by the military.

While the number of women in aviation since the year 2000 has improved greatly, it’s been  slow to grow for women pilots. Just look at the table below.  The charter industry’s numbers are almost 2% lower. 

Today, more and more women are pursuing careers in aviation. Remember our post about Nora Lockhart who is a 16-year-old pilot? We featured this impressive young woman in two posts about her goals, drive and plans for a future in aviation. There are plenty more women who have similar ambitions.

With the emphasis on STEM education in schools more young women are studying math and science so they are well prepared to enter the workforce with the confidence and credentials equal to those of young men. They have the ability to lead from the cockpit to the boardroom and transform the aviation industry to benefit all of us. I look forward to seeing many more young women in my future travels. Look out world, here they come!

Ann Vinod – VP of Finance