WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), both members of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee’s Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation, released the following statements applauding Senate passage of their bipartisan resolution honoring women in the aviation industry. The resolution celebrates America’s aviation workforce, commits the Senate to helping increase aviation workforce and other STEM job opportunities for women, and designates March 8 through March 14, 2021 as “Women of the Aviation Workforce Week.”
“Women aviators have made incredible contributions to our nation, and they deserve to be honored and recognized,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m glad to see that our bipartisan resolution, introduced during Women’s History Month, has passed the Senate. This legislation will help inspire more women to take an interest in STEM and encourage women to enter the aviation workforce, meeting the needs of this growing sector.”
“Amelia Earhart – from Atchison, Kansas – set flight records, broke barriers and led the way for thousands of women to pursue careers in aviation as engineers, flight crew members, air traffic controllers and pilots,” said Senator Moran. “To honor her legacy and the thousands of women who have followed in her footsteps, this resolution is a commitment by the Senate to help increase aviation workforce opportunities for women.”
BACKGROUND: Read the full resolution here.
March 8th-14th is internationally known as “Women of Aviation Worldwide Week”, a global initiative to raise awareness of the gender gap in the air and space industry.
More specifically, the resolution (S.Res.96):
- Designates March 8-14, 2021, as “Women of the Aviation Workforce Week”;
- Raises awareness to the gender gap in this important industry;
- Celebrates women and girls who have chosen aviation as their career path as well as female aviators who are trailblazers in the industry;
- Honors women in aviation, highlights travel and tourism workforce needs, and promotes women and girls in STEM careers;
- Raises awareness about STEM jobs (civil engineering, air traffic controllers, maintenance, and pilots), specifically for women and girls;
- Encourages educational and training institutions to recruit women to join the aviation workforce;
- Encourages employers in the aviation industry to hire a diverse workforce, including women, veterans, and other underrepresented individuals;
- Commits the Senate to taking action to address the gender gap in air and space jobs and in STEM fields more broadly.
Globally:
- Less than 3% of commercial pilots are female;
- Less than 2% of the world’s aircraft maintenance technicians and;
- Less than 10% of all working aeronautical engineers are women
Nationally, the FAA reported that
- Less than 8% of existing commercial pilots are women;
- Only 26% of air traffic controllers are women although women make up roughly 30% of the aviation workforce (203,725 individuals)—flight attendants comprise the majority of this group (183,519 individuals).
The aviation industry is anticipating a significant shortage of skilled professionals in the coming years. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) reported that by 2026, we will need 480,000 new technicians to maintain new aircrafts and over 350,000 additional pilots.
This bipartisan resolution is endorsed by the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), Airline Pilot Association (ALPA), American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), and U.S. Contract Tower Association (USCTA).
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