Questions before the big journey!

[Hannah]

Hyeon,
Absolutely! Only 6% of airline pilots are women. We may get an interview easier but every other aspect of being a female in the industry is a challenge. You’ll feel it from your first rating to your last type. I’ve spoken to women at the end of their careers who really blazed a trail and sadly not much has changed in almost 40 years. However, with all that being said… it’s still the best job in the world. For one ignorant person, there will be 10 that encourage and support you. There are a lot of organizations like women in aviation that provide opportunities to network and connect with other female aviators. It’s a very special network to be a part of. Anyway, below is a more expanded answer to your question…

@Hannah

From a female perspective, I’d say I haven’t experienced any blatant discrimination. Does that mean I’m always treated as an equal? Absolutely not. I noticed it the most in training. Female pilots constantly have to prove they deserve to be there. It’s no mystery that with all things being equal, a woman, as a minority, has a greater chance at being hired than the male counterpart. That creates a stigma from the second we walk in to the training environment. Is she here because she hits a quota, or because she’s good and deserves to be here? If you have a bad sim session, it’s because you’re a girl… not because you’re in training and learning like your other male classmates. You’ll learn very quickly, the way to make it in this industry is being on top of your game all the time. You have to prove you belong by being at the top of your class. Only then will you be respected and treated like, “one of the guys”.

-Hannah