Touch The Sky at a Glance

In 2022 a mere 4.75% of pilots are women, and a tiny 1.42% of all captains are female.  Many factors contribute to job satisfaction, such as salary, retirement, location, the duties of the job and potential for growth. However, aside from salary, which remains relatively gender-neutral in the job-selection, an often-overlooked area is the topic of “soft issues.”  Soft issues are human issues.

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They can include morale at the office, interpersonal relationships, the ability to approach management, a good work/life balance, sense of worth in the work product and the nebulous feeling of happiness at work.  Soft issues are harder to measure quantitatively since they are subjective, yet they play a significantly important qualitative role in determining where people want to work. Part of the answer to the ‘why-are-there-so-few-female-pilots?’ is just that. 

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The hurdles and issues that women face on a day-to-day basis, that many people feel are the norm, but they are not.  We address some of the problems in the hope of encouraging more women to become pilots. Our female pilots open up about the issues they face, what they are overcoming, and how they overcome issues like online bullying, workplace harassment, guilt, and fear. 

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From different backgrounds across Australia these mothers, daughters, influencers, refugees share what it takes to overcome internal expectations and external pressures to take to the skies. Some are at the beginning of their journey to learn to fly, others are further along, but all the women want to encourage more female to participate in an industry they have come to love.

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The series also looks at everyday people having a go and following their dreams. The rewards are evident when each woman takes to the skies with skills, they have put blood, sweat and money into.