The above, a heading on a lengthy Stuff article filled with ridiculous gender stereotype assertions quoting some of our virtually aircraft-less air force personnel and diverse aviation figures.
There’s another explanation which wasn’t considered, namely that being a commercial pilot is arguably the world’s most boring job. Apart from taking off and landing, both elementary exercises, the role of a commercial pilot is merely to sit zombie-like and ostensibly monitor the situation in case of the rare event that something goes wrong. Driving a bus through a city is an immensely more demanding task.
Some people, including women enjoy flying small prop planes as a hobby. So be it; each to their own, but again, the fact that women show little interest in commercial aviation is immensely to their credit.
That said, here’s another career peculiarity of women. While they’re big in residential property agency work, they’re inexplicably absent from commercial property agency activity.
Last year I accompanied my company’s Scottish office management to look at the booming Dublin market. We were hosted by the Jones Lang directors and their boss, a 40ish woman. I told her she was a freak. She pondered this and said it had never occurred to her but after some thought agreed she couldn’t think of a single woman, herself excepted, in that world-wide international organisation working as a sales agent.
In Wellington in the 1990s the most dominant commercial agent was Rosemary Bradford who had the Colliers franchise. She sold out around 2006 having been a commercial property agent since leaving university in the early 1970s. Why women are not interested in this field remains a mystery.
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Why do we not hear an equal fuss about the lower number of men in law, accounting, medicine, nursing, and teaching? Probably because we don’t matter.
Landing in a strong cross wind is not an elementary exercise for a commercial pilot. Take a look at a You Tube Video and you’ll see plenty of go rounds. Having flown planes in a private capacity in NZ, I can assure readers that it is far from boring and I respect commercial pilots.
The Babylon Bee noted this problem in what they say is satire news article.
U.S. — A scene of desperation and panic unfolded on a Delta Airlines flight after the captain of the all-female flight crew announced over the intercom that everything was fine.
“Sure, just go on doing whatever you want back there. It’s fine,” said Captain Savannah Ross with a sigh. “Why wouldn’t it be fine?”
The cabin immediately broke into a cacophony of shrieks and prayers, with passengers desperately trying to message loved ones to say goodbye. “We keep asking, but they won’t say what’s wrong,” said Danny Evans, who had managed to reach his wife’s phone. “Whatever it is, it must be really bad. We’re in trouble, babe.”
Passengers continued begging the crew to know what was the matter, but were met with the silent treatment. At last, the Captain returned to the intercom only to say, “You wouldn’t understand” — setting off a fresh wave of hysteria.
I feel perhaps it’s difficult for women to envisage the commercial space (retail or warehouse), whereas when it comes to residences women are firmly within their zone of comfort and control. They are always planning changes to their own living space (and their friends) and it seems a natural when it comes to conveying their vision (or a vision) of domesticity to a potential client.
Women could be suited to flying planes – at least they don’t have to reverse them.
In the event a near miss/hit, catastrophic accident should occur with an all woman flight crew our present 4th estate would report any shortcomings without bias as our government would ensure no facts ‘left’ undisclosed.
right