Oh dear. Just when we thought we had covered all of the fields in which women are discriminated, we churned up another: air travel. In a study by English travel agent sunshine.co.uk, 51 percent of travelers expressed a preference for male pilots over females. Shockingly, it was mostly women who felt unsafe with lady pilots behind the wheel.
Not only did the study reveal prejudice, but it also aimed to explain why people feel this way. 32% of those suspicious of women pilots cited “male pilots were more skilled” as their reasoning, while 28% claimed that women were less capable of handling the pressure of flying an aircraft.
Some people reported feeling more comfortable with female pilots, but their assumptions are equally prejudicial, including the notion men are hot-headed and easily distracted.
Seriously, boys and girls? As sunshine.co.uk’s managing director Chris Clarkson explains, “If pilots become fully qualified and are given their license, they are perfectly capable of flying a plane and getting you to your destination safely, regardless of whether they are male or female.” DUH.
Thanks to Daily Mail
Image via Coming Out from Under the Dome
