Introduction
Stereotypes in a social, cultural, and political context can be defined as several predetermined expectations with consequences for beliefs of different values and oversimplifications about a group of people. Gender differences can be a significant contributor to stereotypes. This leads to a lack of equal employment opportunities in many businesses, not excluding the airline industry. Over decades there has been a significant gap and challenges for women who want to take on male roles. These stereotypes have led to discrimination in offering jobs in the aviation industry. Many stereotypes might not be correct and can be offensive.
Stereotypes can change when information arises and can change the most distinctive trait of a group. The belief formed by stereotypes always adds up to its description. Some stereotypes include how most people think that only men can fly planes, many flight attendants are female while male attendants are gay, and airlines have a hostile work environment. Although some females and males are fighting these stereotypes, there has been a culture in the airline industry to give females the flight attendant jobs and males the piloting jobs.
Why People Think that Only Men Can Fly
The first stereotype is an under-representation of females in that many think only men can fly planes. This is because the job needs physical and mental strength, which are muscular characteristics that females lack. There is also a claim that a high degree of responsibility for safety, sound technical knowledge, and outstanding leadership are required. Women are claimed not to have the power and capacity, leading to the emergence of occupational gender stereotypes. Occupational gender stereotypes can be defined as what is more suitable for men and women and people’s perceptions of different jobs according to their beliefs and cultures. Gender differences examine the lack of equal employment opportunities in top-ranking positions. The fact that the industry resists hiring female pilots makes it look like a male-dominated profession (Smith et al. 2). This makes men think they can dominate in the career field alone.
For female pilots to be fit for this job, they must suppress their female traits and show masculine behavior. This is a disadvantage to ladies in that they have to pretend to fit in the career. Females are mostly assumed to lack the capability to balance family life and work because of its nature that demands pilots to be away from home (Yanıkoglu 3). This is because society expects women to take more responsibility in raising children and housework than men. Women face a unique set of issues like pregnancy and maternity leave which, in most people’s views, makes them unqualified to be pilots because they will have little time to fly and none for their families. Historically, challenging careers like being a pilot were left for men to pursue because they were complicated and expensive. People believed that they fostered muscular beliefs, values, and attitudes.
The stereotype of men being considered intellectuals, having the ability to think clearly, and having high problem-solving skills make it harder for women to be considered in the profession. Similarly, most male pilots claim that it is hard for women to adapt to the flight deck and that they find it challenging to engage female pilots in conversations. However, to overcome this stereotype, most females are trying to fit into the career by fighting gender prejudice from their fellow male pilots. Female pilots must prove their capability, knowledge, and skills to be accepted by others (Yanıkoglu 2). Recently, gender roles in airlines have shifted focus to women in male-dominated occupations to give them the motivation and courage to pursue them.
Flight Attendants are Always Female and Male Attendants Gay
The second stereotype is that flight attendants are always female and generalized male ones as gay. In the early days, the profession went from being entirely for men to being a female one and, lastly, being exclusively sexually integrated in 1970 (Ferguson, and Ayuttacorn 2). This is because many flight attendants in the past, commonly known as air hostesses, had nursing qualifications and most nurses were female. During those days, there were zero male nurses and this played a big part in solidifying women as flight attendants. The term flight attendant is neutral, but the job is still characterized as feminine (Ferguson, and Ayuttacorn 2). Similarly, male flight attendants are rarely mentioned in the history of air transport. They are regularly emasculated and associated with being gay when presented in the culture.
The stereotype always looks real because the flight attendant’s job is to show care, empathy, and service to the people on board, which are described as female traits. Women are considered fit for the job because they are warmer and kind compared to men (Smith et al. 5). However, when men portray the two, they are considered gay. Furthermore, flight attendants are always expected to be neat and presentable, making it a more feminine career path due to the high degree of cleanliness required.
Similarly, the roles of male flight attendants are primarily invisible, and their masculinity is always directed to the cockpit. Even though some straight men want to join the career, they always have difficulty proving that they are not gay (Ferguson, and Ayuttacorn 1). Airplanes use gas so they prefer to minimize the weight in the planes when possible. Therefore, they tend to employ female flight attendants with less body weight than men to save on gas. Furthermore, the image of a flight attendant is typically depicted as slim, young, and pretty girls, making women dominant in the careers (Smith et al. 3). However, most men are now pushing their way through the job and challenging the devaluation of male staff in feminized roles.
Airlines Having a Hostile Environment
Airlines providing a hostile environment is considered to affect its people and customers positively and negatively. During the pandemic, airplane companies put measures to ensure their passengers and workers are safe. They included measures like emphasizing the use of masks, providing social distance, following the middle seat rule, and guaranteeing sanitization of the planes and people. The managers of the airplanes ensure that their employees are well taken care of thus increasing their pay according to the number of years of experience in the job (Gillet, and Tremblay 6). Airlines ensure the excellent health of their workers by offering great health packages, including dental, vision, and life insurance policies. Airlines give flexible schedules to their flight attendants, making it easier for them to balance work and family.
On the other hand, flying flight attendants and pilots are mostly exposed to sun rays and radiation from space, which may increase their risk of being prone to certain cancers. Flight attendants and pilots often work overnight, which may affect their sleeping patterns, leading to poor health (Gillet, and Tremblay 3).
Traveling across zones can cause jet lag effects because geographic movements and shift work also disrupt their standard sleeping patterns. This can lead to fatigue, changing hormone levels for female workers, and even difficulty in sleeping when they get back to their homes. Flight attendants must adhere to the strict rules on grooming even when they feel tired. Similarly, most pilots suffer from depression and mental illnesses but cannot open up for fear of losing their jobs. During peak seasons like holidays customers experience long waiting hours in lines for security procedures at check-in points. Lastly, the airline industry is always prone to terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and political instability, leading to long periods of inactivity, restricted movements, and unemployment.
Conclusion
Just like other industries, airlines contain stereotypes that have been believed to be accurate and practically seen. Stereotypes such as many people think only men can fly is changing since we have females who are engaging themselves in the career. Many industries have fallen for this stereotype since they mostly give male pilots the jobs denying the female ones. The second one is that only females can be flight attendants, and male attendants being gay. Similarly, many airline industries employ females for the role because it is feminine. However, it is being dealt with reluctantly, because it is always assumed to be a female-dominated field. Lastly, being a hostile environment, this has been proven positively and negatively.
The airlines put measures to protect their workers and customers against Covid19, give their workers good pay according to the number of experiences they have, and provide health insurance to their families. On the other hand, flights expose workers to radiation, jet lag effects due to geographical movements, and poor sleeping patterns. Long queues are experienced during peak seasons, causing fatigue to the workers. Lastly, airplanes are prone to terrorism, leading to losses, unemployment, and restricted movement. Despite the stereotypes, nationwide travelers can never avoid using planes to navigate between countries.
Works Cited
Ferguson, Jane, and Arratee Ayuttacorn. “Air Male: Exploring Flight Attendant Masculinities in North America and Thailand”. The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, vol 20, no. 4, 2019, pp. 328-343. Informa UK Limited. Web.
Gillet, Anne, and Diane Tremblay. Working in the Air: Time Management and Work Intensification Challenges for Workers in Commercial Aviation. Scientific Research Publishing Inc., 2021. Web.
Smith, Whitney et al. Reshaping Gender in Airline Employment. 2021. Web.
Yanıkoglu, Ozge. Gender in the Cockpit: Challenges Faced by Female Airline Pilots. 2020. Web.