https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/group-wants-airman-replaced-by-gender-neutral-terms-in-faa-documents/
Group Wants ‘Airman’ Replaced By Gender Neutral Terms In FAA Documents
Russ Niles February 23, 20208
Aviation regulators and authorities are a “find and replace” away from welcoming more females to the industry according to one advocacy
group. The Institute for Women of Aviation Worldwide (IWOAW) has
launched a petition
https://www.change.org/p/tell-the-faa-and-icao-to-eliminate-gender-exclusive-words-that-keep-women-out-of-aviation-from-their-publications
calling for the FAA and others to eliminate airman and airmen from the thousands of pages of rules and regulations they curate and replace
them with neutral terms like pilot, aircrew or flight personnel. In
the preamble to the petition, IWOAW says it may seem like a small
thing, but research has shown that words do matter when it comes to inclusiveness in aviation. “Women do feel ostracized and are steering
away from the aerospace careers publicly labelled as men’s careers,”
the group said.
Despite a massive effort by groups like IWOAW, industry and
educational entities to attract females to aviation, the percentage of
female pilots, technicians and most other aerospace specialties
remains stubbornly in the single digits. Although the common
gender-specific language may seem anachronistic, IWOAW President
Mireille Goyer said that as recently as 2016 the FAA changed the name
of the Practical Test Standards to the Airman Certification Standards. Officials decided on the name by reasoning that “airman” has become
the standard term for those who fly in FAA nomenclature and that
changing it would be a massive bureaucratic exercise, she said. IWOAW
argues the change could be made with a few key strokes. “Technology
makes wording changes in documents a matter of will rather than a
matter of means,” the petition preamble says. ----------------------------------
https://www.change.org/p/tell-the-faa-and-icao-to-eliminate-gender-exclusive-words-that-keep-women-out-of-aviation-from-their-publications
Help Eliminate Gender-Exclusive Words that Keep Women out of Aviation
Institute for Women Of Aviation Worldwide (iWOAW)
https://www.change.org/o/institute_for_women_of_aviation_worldwide_iwoaw started this petition to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Steve
Dickson and 3 others
Gender-exclusive words signal group-based ostracism and act as entry
barriers
In 2020, female pilots look up Notices to Airmen before each flight,
validate their Medical Certificate by signing in the Airman Signature
field, and refer to Airman Certification Standards to prepare for
pilot tests.
The FAA's website contains more than 40,000 references to Airman or
Airmen; ICAO's website lists close to 2,000 airmen references. It does
not stop with these administrative organizations. Industry
stakeholders and media use them too.
Research indicates that linguistic cues such as gender-exclusive terms
that may seem trivial at face value can signal group-based ostracism
and lead members of the ostracized group to self-select out of
important professional environments.
Women do feel ostracized and are steering away from the aerospace
careers publicly labelled as men's careers. Worldwide, the percentage
of female pilots is less than 3%.
The United States counts 262,025 commercial pilots including 13,692
women according to the latest U.S. Civil Airmen Statistics published
by the FAA.
Sign our petition to demand that the FAA and ICAO remove
gender-exclusive words from all their publications, on- and off-line.
It is common sense. How long would it take the FAA and ICAO to change
the wording if male pilots had to refer to Notices to Airwomen before
each flight and carry a certificate including an Airwoman signature
field?
Gender-neutral terms such Pilot, Aircrew, or Flight Personnel already
exist. Technology makes wording changes in documents a matter of will
rather than a matter of means.
Yet, 110 years after Raymonde de Laroche became the 36th person - and
the first woman - in the world to earn a pilot licence on March 8, the
FAA and ICAO continue to negate their presence in their publications.
It is time to make a change. Add your voice to iWOAW's. Tell the FAA
and ICAO to eliminate words that act as entry barriers for women. Sign
the petition.
--------------------------------------------
https://www.change.org/o/institute_for_women_of_aviation_worldwide_iwoaw
Institute for Women Of Aviation Worldwide (iWOAW)
83 supporters
The Institute for Women Of Aviation Worldwide (iWOAW) – a
not-for-profit organization headquartered in Montreal, Canada – leads
an industry alliance counting more than 10,000 industry professionals
and enthusiasts plus nearly 600 for profit and nonprofit organizations representing all sectors of the industry in 47 countries on 5
continents. The group is dedicated to fostering gender balance thus,
growth, in the air and space industry. By studying and addressing the
behaviors and attitudes that effectively exclude women, iWOAW has
established a proven track record of developing creative, innovative,
and engaging initiatives that change perceptions, motivate action, and
deliver results. Its multi-pronged approach to gender balance
advancement features a blend of outreach, education, and advocacy
designed to steer women towards the industry then steer them towards
success. Per bylaws stipulation, iWOAW is directed by an all-volunteer international and gender-balanced Board of Directors.
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