“Yeah that's why when you look at the cadet classes at Virgin and Qantas, you see a 50/50 split, when the applicant ratio wouldn't be anything of the sort”
Are you sure about that, you have seen the applicant numbers and dissected them based upon gender?
You will find that there are a far greater proportion of women applicants for cadet positions than for direct entry positions from people already in the industry.
“Are there any professional female airline Pilots with 2 children or more who are doing >850 hrs a year?”
Yes, plenty. Some with 3 kids. And some with 4.
“more weight in areas that females may have an advantage in?” followed by “more maturity”.
Yes indeed a very good point. Scientific research has shown that females start maturing at an earlier age than males by up to 4 years and is evident even to the point where brain development finishes around the mid twenties.
So if your target demographic is this age group and an emphasis is placed on maturity then females are the clear choice.
“implies that there currently exists a problem with the gender gap.”
I am guessing you are male?
“the gender gap in other vocational areas of the Company is apparently not a problem”
As pointed out before, the other vocation where a significant gender gap exists is engineering and Qantas are taking steps to rebalance this distribution.
Mechanics, like pilots, are where the true global shortage within the aviation industry lies and it would be remiss of airlines not to address this problem.
Check in staff, not such a pressing issue.
“So long as there is doubt as to the equivalent merits of the larger number of females being employed”
There is absolutely no doubt at all.
“The exact reason for the huge focus by Qantas on female pilots is unknown.”
It is very much known. Qantas are seeking to broaden the applicant pool from which they employ pilots.
“They may have statistical data that the current female pilot demographic tend not to be involved in industrial activities”
They MAY also have statistical data that martians are planning to crew their next batch of aircraft too.
“So there are many reasons why this job is not so attractive to females”
Your inaccurate representation of carer legislation not withstanding, your last several paragraphs cut to the heart of the issue we are discussing.
For more than two thirds of Qantas’s history, pilots were exclusively male. The first female to undergo selection for Qantas was asked at her interview if she preferred “tall women”.
The airline pilot industry was built by men and favors men and men will need to adapt to a changing world where rosters and carer lines and cockpit conversations no longer work exclusively in their favor.
Its called the price of doing business. Women exist, they make up half of the the population and if men lose some weekends off in order to accommodate women then its a small price to pay for a progressive society.
Real change always results in the loss of power.