Every living species has a job to do- the bees make honey, monkeys protect their family by performing guard roles, and the lioness provides for the pack!
Then why has the human society created a mind set that claims gender tagged roles? In the Masai clan in the Rift Valley, Kenya, the females go out to provide for the family while the men hang around chilling all day! In some cases, it is simply convenient but generally men are the providers as the female species have been historically tagged to look after the children and the home. Women have always been stereotyped as the weaker of the human species. It is because of this mindset that many roles in the workforce are male dominated.
In our society, gender biases have a tendency to start from young with putting limits on the types of toys children can play with – toys for boys and toys for girls. What about the importance of gender neutral toys? Why can’t boys and girls play with the same kind of toys? This certainly reduces the child’s horizon.
Society for a very long time has told men and women that they can only perform gender specific roles. This bias is dwindling but only in certain careers. This bias is still existent in many industries like construction, public safety and aviation.
Aviation careers to date are still very much male dominated with only a small percentage of women in this industry. A study conducted in May 2019 by the University of Nebraska on Women in Aviation. According to the study, women are underrepresented in many areas of aviation. The areas with the largest gaps are in technical operations and leadership positions. It showed that women make up less than 10% of pilots, maintenance technicians & engineers, and airline executors.
Table below shows some of the statistics:
So in conclusion to the younger generation, when planning for higher education, avoid gender stereotyping. Just because your career choice may not fit traditional gender roles, if you have the interests, talents and willingness to learn, the benefits will be your reward!