Yashika Goel
Given the gender parity index, it is obvious that India requires significant development in a number of areas. The nation still has the most female pilots, more than the US and UK combined, despite placing 135th out of 146 countries in the globe.
The International Society of Women Pilots estimates that women make up 12.4% of all pilots in India. The US and UK percentages are 5.5% and 4.7%, respectively.
Nivedita Bhasin was the youngest female pilot in 1989. However, there are now other women who fly military aircraft in addition to airplanes. Nevertheless, the reason why our nation has the most female pilots is still a mystery while scoring so poorly on the gender parity index.
Workforce Diversity
When hiring for the workforce in India, many airlines have a strategy of retaining diversity. Many even make an effort to keep female talent. For instance, IndiGo provides female crew members and pilots with a flexible work environment. It permits them to be excused from flight schedules and provides them with 26 weeks of paid maternity leave.
Vistara, on the other hand, allows its female workforce to choose from on-site administrative positions. In addition to offering six months of paid maternity leave, it reimburses creche costs.
Women in Combat Arms: A Study of the Global War on Terror claims that fewer mishaps involving female pilots than those involving male pilots occur.
This data comes from the US, but it’s crucial to note that the Indian aviation sector is hiring more women to make flying safer than it was.
Women are bright learners.
According to Kunjal Bhatt, the head flying instructor at the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi, women trainees frequently demonstrate greater dedication because the stakes are higher for them. They cannot afford to make even the smallest blunders because they are challenging gender standards.
Outreach Initiatives
Outreach activities are a significant factor in India’s success in hiring more women in the aviation industry. Outreach initiatives are carried out by women like Harpreet A. De Singh, who will become the first woman to lead an Indian airline in 2020.
These programs provide information on career options in the sector, including those as technicians, air traffic controllers, and pilots.
She thinks that these initiatives have helped women choose careers in the aviation sector, where they may not have known there were so many employment openings.
Parental Support
According to an Indian Express report, Indian women are supported by their families. They can raise children and run a family more easily because of the familial structure in this place. Pilots have discovered that the support of their extended families makes it simple for them to take off since the job necessitates long working hours.
Zoya Agarwal, the first pilot to fly Air India’s first nonstop flight between San Francisco and Bengaluru with an all-women crew, stated that women like her could go to any destination without worrying about how the home and its inhabitants would function without her.
