Another empty kitchen : gender issues on the flight deck

The occupation of aviation pilot has been, historically, and still is both male dominated and a gendered (masculine) occupation. Not only is the occupation male-dominated, its 'tools of trade', that is, aircraft, are designed, built and maintained primarily by men for men. In aviation, masculine beliefs, values and perceptions (having the 'right stuff') appear to continue to dominate the industry and the pilot profession. Originating in the US military, the 'right stuff' is characterised by aviators and astronauts who were courageous, single-minded and driven to successfully achieve personal and organisational goals. This perception and behaviour was popularised in movies such as The Right Stuff and Top Gun, and Wolfe's (1980) book The Right Stuff. These, and other stories of heroic exploits such as the aerial combat heroes of the First and Second World Wars, the 'barnstormers' of the 1920s and 1930s and the emergence of the airline sector of the aviation industry, have contributed to a masculine occupational culture that transcends both organisational and national boundaries. For example, airlines were not adverse to utilise the profile of the pilot to promote the organisation and exclude women not only from piloting positions, but also from 75 per cent of all airline positions (Mills, 1998). Mills also indicates that the early corporate image (masculine) adopted by British Airways 'was that of the experienced, heroic and supremely confident pilot' (1998, p. 174). Despite the dominant male culture, female pilots, always in the minority, have also played an often significant part in aviation.