We have a good bunch of lady pilots in our company (bmi), and although not a huge number in percentage terms there are enough of them to have changed the work environment and atmosphere in the company very much for the better.
As to competence, my experience is entirely the same as for my male colleagues, most are very good, some are really excellent and a few have struggled to make the grade, most struggled successfully and one or two didn't.
I agree with some of the posters above, there is no reason at all why a woman can't do the job just as well as a man but there are probably just fewer women who want to do it and that is almost certainly not going to change. It is, at the end of the day, a good job if you are interested in aeroplanes and aviation but with the hours and long periods away from home it can be a pretty strange way to earn a living and doesn't suit everyone, male or female.
Last edited by Max Angle; 19th Dec 2008 at 19:51.