Women In Aviation
Changing Role of Women in Aviation
Since the 1990s, a slightly higher percentage of women have been training for careers in aviation. In fact, more than four percent of all jobs in the field of aviation are held by women. While these may not account for high numbers, the fact is that seeing women in aviation careers is far more common than a few decades ago. It has taken time for men to become accustomed to seeing women fill less traditional jobs from yesteryear. Gone are the days of women working solely as stewardesses, secretaries and waitresses. For years, the only careers within aviation that women did hold were ticketing agents or stewardesses. In today's modern times, anything is possible.
Statistics are proving that women can tackle the aviation career of their dreams. With a proper education and special training, a number of careers are available to women in aviation. Women can hold the role of airplane pilot, but there is far more out there. Women can work as aviation electrical engineers, aircraft mechanics, space shuttle pilots, aircraft design, air traffic control, and more. For those wanting more traditional roles, even the role of the stewardess, now called flight attendants, has changed over the years. With the advent of September 11th, flight attendants are trained to handle unruly passengers and work closely with U.S. Marshals on all flights.
With decent salaries available, it is not surprising that women are looking into careers in aviation. A commercial pilot makes upwards of $80,000 per year. With this salary, owning a home, reliable car, and a comfortable lifestyle is easy achieved. As demand for qualified pilots increases, women will find this to be a strong employment market for both men and women. Airlines are desperate for pilots due to federal restrictions on how many hours a pilot can fly, and with strong demand comes an ease at finding suitable employment. Seeing women in aviation is no longer a dream, it has become a reality.
