WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, released the following statements after introducing a bipartisan resolution honoring women in the aviation industry, celebrating America’s aviation workforce, and designating March 2 through March 8, 2020 as “Women of the Aviation Workforce Week.”
“Women make up half of the workforce in our country yet still only make up a fraction of the jobs in aviation industries,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan resolution during Women’s History Month to encourage more women to enter the aviation workforce to meet the needs of this growing sector, while also working to increase diversity in these high-demand fields. I will continue working on forward-thinking legislation, like my bipartisan Building Blocks of STEM bill, to encourage girls in school to take an interest in STEM careers to ensure that we have a workforce equipped with the tools necessary to succeed in a 21st century.”
“The most famous woman in aviation—Amelia Earhart—grew up in Atchison, Kansas, and soared into the history books, setting flight records and breaking barriers,” said Senator Moran. “She led the way for thousands of women to pursue careers in aviation as engineers, flight crew members, air traffic controllers and pilots. Despite her ground-breaking efforts, less than 10 percent of aeronautical engineers in the U.S. are women, and women make up less than eight percent of our pilots. To address this disparity, I helped create an advisory board at the FAA that aims to support women in aviation and better meet the growing demand for workers in aviation. As more women join the aviation industry, I’m proud to join my colleagues in sponsoring this resolution to recognize Women of the Aviation Workforce Week.”
BACKGROUND: This bipartisan resolution is endorsed by Airlines for America, the Air Line Pilots Association, and the National Business Aviation Association.
Read the full resolution here.
By designating March 2-8th as “Women of the Aviation Workforce Week,” this bipartisan resolution would bring awareness to the gender gap in the aviation industry while also celebrating women and girls who have chosen aviation as their career path. The resolution also specifically commits the U.S. Senate to taking legislative actions to address the gender gap in STEM fields, including in the air and space industry.
March 2nd-8th is internationally known as “Women of Aviation Worldwide Week.” The global initiative chose March, which is Women’s History Month, and the first week of March to mark the anniversary of the world’s first licensed female pilot. The week is a call to address gender imbalance in the air and space industry.
Globally, less than:
– Less than 3% of commercial pilots are female
– Less than 2% of the world’s aircraft maintenance technicians are female, and
– Less than 10% of all working aeronautical engineers are women.
Nationally, the FAA reported that:
– Less than 8% of the pilots in the United States are women and
– Only 26% of air traffic controllers are women although women make up roughly 30% of the aviation workforce.
Last week, Senator Rosen introduced the bipartisan Promoting Service in Transportation Act, which highlights the growing diversity need in the transportation workforce.
Since arriving to Congress, Senator Rosen has been a champion for women’s rights and equality. Her bipartisan Building Blocks of STEM Act became law in December 2019. This bill aims to increase opportunities for young girls to pursue a STEM education by creating and expanding upon STEM education initiatives at the National Science Foundation (NSF) for young children, including new research grants to increase the participation of girls in computer science.
This resolution is endorsed by Airlines for America and the Air Line Pilots Association.
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