PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - UK GA Misogyny;Are Female Pilots Denigrated.
Old 25th Oct 2018, 22:34
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Genghis the Engineer
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Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: UK
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I'm the ubiquitous white, straight male - so could reasonably be accused of not seeing the whole picture.

Frankly, yes, I've see sexism and racism - mostly but not only displayed by people who, well, look like me. But from grown up aviation professionals - virtually none.

From people from the fringes, people who don't hold aviation professional qualifications - yes I have. The closer you get to the core of professionalism, no you don't.

I recall a friend, a now retired lady helicopter instructor in conversation saying that she saw little or no sexism from any qualified pilot, but often experienced it from potential new students who were clearly extremely unhappy about the idea of a woman flying instructor. I recall a (now thankfully eased out) manager in the organisation I work for who would regularly disparage appointment of young professional women as "they'd just go and get pregnant". Invariably these young women were better qualified than he was. The new immediate colleagues of those young women, when I appointed them - quite rightly just treated her as a fellow professional, and judged them by that yardstick.

So it's out there - but in my experience not amongst aviation grown ups. Hence, I think that accusations directed at the great and good of the sport flying organisations are, frankly, utter cobblers.

G
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