National Survey Results: Retention of Women in College Aviation

This paper presents preliminary findings on data collected in the first two years of a study on retention of women in collegiate aviation. The study was initiated to discover the factors that influence women once they have already selected a technical career in aviation, and to learn what could be done to support those women who have demonstrated a serious interest in an aviation career by enrolling in a collegiate aviation program. Data was collected from surveys of 390 college students (195 women and 195 men) majoring in aviation programs in nine colleges and universities, representing widely varied geographic areas and including both two- and four-year institutions. Results indicate significant areas of concern such as learning style preferences, social acceptance, confidence, faculty support and family and career, among women in pilot training. When queried about these concerns, differences were expected and evident in the responses of the male and female groups. However, an unexpected finding was that women in early stages of pilot training responded differently from women in more experienced stages. Novice women seem to need women role models and to perhaps have less confidence. Women in experienced stages of training respond more like the men in the survey, gain confidence and adopt more male-like attitudes. This finding suggests that greater awareness of this adaptation factor particular to women in collegiate aviation is needed. Some women may adapt quickly, but others may need more time and encouragement in order to sustain retention in aviation.