‘Women struggle to pursuit career’
IN a war of an ideal worker and a good mother in today’s corporate world, women still struggle in the pursuit of both a career and family.
This was the “humble opinion” of Fiji Airways’ A330 pilot, Captain Seini KoroitamanaCornish as she addressed delegates at the Women Invigorating the Nation (WIN) 2024 Convention at the GPH in Suva yesterday.
“The ideal worker is always available for work and the good mother is always available for her children,” Ms Koroitamana-Cornish said.
“It’s definitely a problem I know many women face.
“As a young mother, I was naively determined to do it all, which I’ve learnt is a recipe for disappointment.
“I was determined to prove to myself and to my workmates that I could fly until I was seven months pregnant, which is the legal limit for flying aeroplanes. A rule I don’t think was written by a female.
“If I could speak to the young mother I was then today, I would tell her that she is not a man and neither is she expected to be.
“That being a mother is going to be her greatest gift. And in no way should she feel like she is failing any standard by being pregnant.”
Ms Koroitamana-Cornish said as women celebrated the opportunity to raise the ceiling,
“it’s equally important to raise the floor”.
Noting that female pilots have children, and only one other pilot had gotten pregnant while flying, “I often wonder if maybe the choice to have children in our career just does not seem practical”.
“Our choices as women are unique to us. Women should not have to choose between a career and having a family.”
The mother of two said a few years ago, she was given the opportunity to change the airline’s maternity clause — one she grabbed with both hands with the hope that later down the line, it may create a healthier balance for the ladies to come.
“I think the time has come to change some rules to make room for us in our entirety.”