Blog: Riding high

Travelling by plane is an exciting experience for me. I doubt I will ever lose the thrill of take-off and landing. Even though I am technically minded enough to understand how the plane stays in the air, I still feel a bit of childish wonder.

My latest journey was brightened by the realisation that we had an all-female flight crew – both pilot and co-pilot were female and, of course, all the cabin staff. I might not have noticed when I got on the plane if we were not sitting at the front, but I think the friends we were travelling with would have pointed it out soon enough, given how much I harp on about equality.

It might have been better if we hadn’t got into the debate about whether it was as bad to have an all-female crew as it is to have mostly male pilots and mostly female flight attendants. After 14 days together and much debate over long drawn out dinners, wine and Tsipouro, we finally agreed that an all-female crew was a great advance in the current environment. We are all looking forward to the day when we don’t notice either way because the chances are that there will be equal distribution of the sexes in these roles.

The airline I travelled with has made an open commitment to addressing gender imbalance in their roles. I strongly believe that many of those organisations that are committing to this as a means for addressing their Gender Pay Gap will at least achieve a step change in thinking over the next few years. Maybe not because they reach their targets, but because it’s out in the open – a visible commitment – and we are culturally ready for it.

Oh, and by the way, our landing was better with the all-female crew – who says women can’t park!

Jane Baalam
Pay & Reward Specialist

Email Jane or call 0117 325 0526

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