Over the previous two days, Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, has hosted the second national awareness workshop of COMESA on gender equality and the opportunities available for women in the aviation sector for Member States in the Eastern, Southern, and Indian Ocean regions.
The workshop objective is to improve the institutional and regulatory capabilities of civil aviation authorities by addressing gender disparities in the aviation sector. Additionally, it seeks to establish an atmosphere of inclusivity, pique the interest of legislators and business executives in promoting equal opportunities and women’s active participation in aviation.
In her introductory remarks, Beatrice Hamusonde, Director of Gender and Social Affairs at the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), stated that in order to attract, develop, and retain female talent, the aviation industry must change its traditionally macho corporate culture and identity.
“To ttract, promote and retain female talent. Relevantopportunities need to be created at the State, regional and internationallevel for more women to pursue a career in the aviation sector and,similarly, to advance their career on an equal footing with their malecounterparts.”
“The ICAO Assembly Resolution A41-26 urges States, regional andinternational aviation organisations and the international aviationindustry to demonstrate strong, determined leadership and commitment toadvance women’s rights, and to take the necessary measures to strengthengender equality by supporting policies, as well as the establishment andimprovement of programmes and projects, to further women’s careers in theaviation industry.” She said .
Gender experts in the field claim that a variety of circumstances, some dating back to childhood, influence the proportion of women pursuing these roles. One reason why not enough girls and young women are selecting STEM courses in school is that they are not exposed to the vast array of STEM-related occupations that are out there. Many women are being discouraged from pursuing careers in aviation due to outmoded stereotypes about the industry being a “man’s world” and a dearth of visible female role models who may dispel these myths. Cost is an additional factor. The cost of training a pilot is high.
In his introductory remarks, Seleshi Tadesse, the Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Women and Social Affairs, Women’s Rights and Protection, stated that the aviation sector in his nation has made better progress in hiring more women. In addition to introducing leadership and mentorship programmes for women in the business, he stressed that stakeholders needed to address the issue of stereotypes and gender bias and support a better work-life balance for female employees in order to improve the representation of women in the aviation sector.