Government gives $1.3m funding to projects for women in aviation

According to Federal Transport Minister Catherine King, the four suppliers were selected after a “highly specialised” tender process, and will deliver projects to “help to shift the dial on diversity, inclusion and representation in Australia’s aviation industry”.

“This includes forums to support our emerging women leaders in aviation, an Aviation Career Explorer program to boost aviation interest amongst high school students, and encouraging male champions in the industry to drive long-term cultural change to increase inclusion for everyone – all to be delivered by WAI Australian Chapter,” she said.

“The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology will run programs for flight instructors to foster leadership and inclusion skills, as well as for high school students to develop their interest in STEM careers in aviation.

“The initiative will also support awareness and outreach activities for school students to highlight the incredible possibilities aviation can offer them, to be led by the Civil Aviation Academy of Australasia.

“ThinkPlace Australia is the fourth of the successful suppliers, selected to design and pilot behavioural interventions in the industry using nudge theory to influence cultural change.”

Figures from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency last month revealed a median gender pay gap in air and space transport of 38.1 per cent for total remuneration and 37.7 per cent for base salary, around double the average across all industries, attributed to a higher proportion of men in better-paid piloting and engineering jobs.

Additionally, according to a landmark report in 2022, harassment and discrimination against women are key barriers stopping young people from taking up aviation careers.

The Barriers to the Pipeline report also said the “vast majority” of respondents indicated that the perception of male domination was a significant barrier to entry. It noted references to a “boys’ club mentality” and the “lack of support from male peers”.

“My aviation workplace is dominated by men with outdated and problematic opinions,” wrote one respondent. “If this were to change, I would think that we would have a more diverse industry as those who start their path would stick around longer as they would feel safe at work and their skills valued.”

Another wrote, “Over a decade of experience within the industry, the culture still needs to change. Females are often subjected to both biased and unbiased adversities and harassment. There is a significant gender bias in Australia when compared to Europe.”

The interim report, which you can read in full here, was funded through the Women in the Aviation Industry Initiative. It was also backed by Monash, RMIT, and UNSW universities.