Aviation industry risks 59% decline of women in leadership position — Report

By Tobi Adetunji

A report by global management consulting firm, Oliver Wyman, and the international Aviation Women Association, has revealed in a new survey that 59 per cent of women working in leadership positions in aviation have considered leaving the industry.

Revealing the factors that contributed to the decline in women leadership capacity, the duo of the research sourced noted that, women were more likely to be pushed out because of negative experiences, while men who leave the industry were more often pulled away by the lure of better opportunities.

The study surveyed 450 aviation professionals in front-line, mid-level, and senior leadership (75 per cent women), supplemented by interviews, to understand why there were few female leaders in aviation – and what needed to be done to make progress in increasing that number.

The survey found that aviation had not made progress in addressing its gender gap at the top, as a third of the women surveyed reported taking longer to reach leadership positions relative to their peer group.

By comparison, 92 per cent of men surveyed advanced more quickly or at the same pace as their peer group.

In addition, men in the industry broadly believed their companies were doing a good job of offering effective and accessible programmes to promote gender equity. Women, on the other hand, did not find these programmes as effective or easy to access.

Vice President at Oliver Wyman, Oksana Bardygula, said, “The aviation industry is missing out on critical leadership talent.

“We are already at a tipping point with talent shortages across the industry in various fields, from pilots to mechanics.

“Increasing the visibility of women and their roles in leadership is vital to expanding the talent pool – as well as in gaining access to the innovation, creativity, and risk management that more diverse leadership would provide.”

The President of IAWA, Bobbi Wells, said, “Women report they are struggling throughout their careers in today’s aviation culture.

“Our study shows relative to men in the industry, women report more negative experiences, slower career advancement, and fewer opportunities to take on senior or challenging roles.

“It’s time for aviation leaders to change these dynamics if we are to attract and retain the most talented workers, regardless of gender.”

The study focused on identifying areas where the industry must make meaningful and lasting change to address the gender gap.