Women in aerospace still feel unwelcome, study finds

Aerospace has a way to go in becoming a welcoming environment for women, according to a new report.

A survey by Korn Ferry of more than 1,500 workers in the sector found that onethird of women feel they would need to change industries to advance their careers. Just 6 per cent thought the representation of women had increased significantly in the past five years, according to the survey, commissioned by the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter, a two-year-old initiative to improve gender balance.

“This report provides us with a measure both of what has been achieved and of what remains to be done,” said charter co-chairs Sumati Sharma, a former Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. executive, and Jacqueline Sutton, chief customer officer at RollsRoyce Holdings Plc. Companies need to recommit “to doing whatever is required to build the diverse and inclusive industry we not only want but need to see.”

The aerospace sector has long been male-dominated, with the military traditionally feeding pilots into airlines and just 18 per cent of aerospace engineers female. As the pandemic requires many companies to focus on survival, there are fears diversity could slip down the agenda.

While the share of female pilots globally had grown to 5.3 per cent this year from just 3 per cent in 2016, the gains are at risk of being undone by the pandemic, according to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots.

Similar concerns exist throughout aerospace, with the Korn Ferry survey finding many feared investment in inclusion would be paused or removed and women would be more at risk of downsizing due to their relatively recent entry into certain roles.

The Korn Ferry report surveyed 1,528 people, of which 61 per cent were female, 37 per cent male and 2 per cent didn't disclose their gender. Respondents were largely from the aerospace and aviation industries, with 7 per cent from defence and 28 per cent in other roles.

The report found:

❚ A majority (87 per cent) of women surveyed and 63 per cent of men thought the perception of a gender pay gap stops more women from joining the industry;

❚ Men in aviation and aerospace were three times as likely as women to think the representation of women had significantly increased in the past five years (6 per cent of females versus 18 per cent of males);

❚ Just 48 per cent of female respondents in aerospace agreed that corporate leaders were committed to increasing the number of women in leadership roles, versus 70 per cent of male respondents;

❚ Less than half of female respondents working in the aviation (47 per cent) and aerospace (44 per cent) sectors said they had a female role model.

KRISZTIAN BOCSI / BLOOMBERG Men in aviation and aerospace were three times as likely as women to think representation of women had greatly increased in the past five years, a report found.