Women In Aerospace: The Female Frontier

It is a really exciting time for the aerospace industry. With new technological developments being made, and a renewed interest in recruiting for the sector, now is the perfect time for women to get involved and take the next step in a dynamic and progressive career.

So, what’s next for women in aerospace? Our founder and MD, Emma Robinson, discusses the opportunities and challenges faced by women in the aerospace industry.

What Is Happening Within The Aerospace Industry?

Understandably, the aerospace industry has really struggled during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, air traffic decreased by roughly 90% as holidays were cancelled, business travel restricted and uncertainty set in.

However, one area of the aerospace industry that remained fruitful was the demand for military and defence equipment.

Governments across the globe are keen to invest in aerospace and aerospace technologies. Studies show that prior to the pandemic the USA, UK and China were the top three authorities investing in the sector.

While these three were the big spenders, other nations like Malaysia, Brazil and Turkey were also recording sustained aerospace investment activity among many more.

It is a really thrilling time for the sector. Huge technological developments are being made regularly in fields like the Internet of Things (IoT) to aid manufacturing and, despite the setbacks of the pandemic, the industry is recovering and will continue to flourish in the future.

How Gender Diverse Is The Aerospace Industry?

Traditionally, the aerospace industry has been a male-dominated one. Even today only 18% of aerospace engineers are female, being heavily outweighed by 82% of their male counterparts.

But there is no reason this should be the case. Women are continuing to flourish in the industry, paving the way for a more diverse and inclusive workforce.

Even within industry giants such as NASA, women are still a minority.

Despite 2019 often being labelled as ‘NASA’s year of the woman’, thanks to the incredible achievements of maverick role models Christina Koch and Jessica Meir completing the first all-female spacewalk, reports have shown that women only make up a third of the organisation’s workforce.

At NASA, only 28% of senior executive leadership positions and 16% of senior scientific employees are female.

Will Women Land On The Moon?

A new Lunar mission is being planned which will put the first woman on the moon. Artemis, named to reflect the sibling of the original moon mission Apollo, is set to take place by 2024 and will hopefully encourage the next generation of female aerospace experts and innovators.

It is not just the moon missions that are providing opportunities for women, there are incredible roles at all levels of the aerospace industry. Whether in manufacturing, research, science or management, there is plenty of room for women in aerospace.

A big struggle that we often encounter when tackling a lack of gender diversity is a lack of representation. People do not see others like them in certain roles or industries so can struggle to envision themselves in certain careers.

It is a well-known stereotype that lots of young boys grow up dreaming of being an astronaut. It will be interesting to see how that may change in young girls as they grow up with women achieving these incredible feats in aerospace, will we see an increase in young girls dreaming of a career in aerospace?

When it comes to women in aerospace, there are some incredible opportunities available. The key is finding your niche and passion and taking on new challenges, confronting male dominated fields and taking a leap of faith. Women will walk on the moon.

If you are interested in progressing your career in the aerospace industry, get in touch with a member of our team here.