Gender Discrimination in the Flight Deck: An Analysis on the Experiences of Ab-initio Pilots

Abstract

Gender-related issues among pilots are increasingly recognized as a serious, worldwide safety concern. A considerable amount of literature has been published on gender discrimination in commercial aviation and general aviation. However, to the best of authors’ knowledge, no research has been found that examined the gender-related issues among ab-initio pilots in Turkey. The aim of this research project has therefore been to investigate the gender discrimination among ab-initio pilots. With consideration in mind, a survey was developed by using previously published two questionnaires in the field of gender-related issues in aviation and conducted to collect data. By the end of the survey period, data had been collected from 104 ab-initio pilots. The independent sample t-test was employed to analyze the results of the survey. It has been concluded that female ab-initio pilots face gender discrimination. Furthermore, it has been found that there was no significant difference in difficulties faced during the training due to gender-related issues between male and female ab-initio pilots. The results of this study provided an understanding on gender-related issues among ab-initio pilots. The findings of this study may provide important implications in the field of crew resource management training for ab-initio pilots and increase overall safety in aviation