Caution: Attacks on DEI in the US threaten to cement glass ceilings

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Women’s History Month began as a way to honour women’s contributions throughout time. It was meant to commemorate their ‘firsts’ and perhaps more importantly, to inspire future generations of ladies to achieve greatness.

Unfortunately, that second objective is in danger. If politicians and businesses continue to abandon measures for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), which have helped qualified yet under-represented people gain access to career opportunities, the next generation of history-makers could be drastically delayed. What’s more, integration in professional fields may never be achieved.

This is true of many industries, but I often think about how gender disparity shows up in the aviation field because my eight-year-old daughter wants to be a pilot, just like her dad. According the US federal Bureau of Labour Statistics, women make up just 4.6% of all aircraft pilots, while industry groups estimate that less than 1% of them are African-American women. The numbers are even bleaker for Asian and Latino women.

We should call these figures what they are: a failure of the US aviation industry. If it’s routine for people to fly anywhere in the world in an aeroplane, it shouldn’t be atypical for it to be a woman flying it. There are several reasons for the lack of progress.

Money is a major barrier. It can cost up to $100,000 to obtain all the hours, licences and ratings to fly for an airline. Traditional financial aid and federal funding are not available for aviation schools because many of them are not degree-granting institutions.