TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Senator Jerry Moran is working to introduce a resolution that would recognize women in aviation for International Women in Aviation Week.
Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) says he and Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) have introduced a bipartisan resolution to honor women in the aviation industry and commit to helping increase aviation and STEM job opportunities for women. He said the resolution would designate March 8 through 14 as Women of the Aviation Workforce Week.
“The most famous woman in aviation—Amelia Earhart—grew up in Atchison, Kansas,” said Sen. Moran. “She set flight records, broke barriers and led the way for thousands of women to pursue careers in aviation as engineers, flight crew members, air traffic controllers and pilots. However, women still make up less than eight percent of our pilots and a small percentage of aeronautical engineers in the U.S. To address this disparity, we established an advisory board at the FAA that aims to support women in aviation and better meet the growing demand for workers in the industry. As more women pursue careers in aviation, I’m proud to join my colleagues in sponsoring this resolution to recognize Women of the Aviation Workforce Week.”
According to Sen. Moran, Senate Resolution 96 includes the following:ADVERTISEMENThttps://91c5b9e04ae8d5a36d6a0f1472315d7b.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
“Women make up half of the workforce in America, yet still only hold a small fraction of the jobs in aviation industries,” said Sen. Rosen. “I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan resolution during Women’s History Month to encourage more women to enter the aviation workforce to meet the needs of this growing sector, while also working to increase diversity in these high-demand fields. I will continue working on forward-thinking legislation to encourage more women to take an interest in STEM careers to ensure that we have a workforce equipped with the tools necessary to succeed in the 21st century.”
The Senators said globally, less than 3% of commercial pilots are women, less than 2% of aircraft maintenance technicians are women and less than 10% of all working aeronautical engineers are women.
Nationally, the Senators said less than 8% of commercial pilots are women and only 26% of air traffic controllers are women while women make up about 30% of the aviation workforce. They said of the national aviation workforce, most women that work in it are flight attendants.
According to Sen. Moran, the aviation industry anticipates a significant shortage of skilled professionals in the next few years. He said the International Civil Aviation Organization reported that by 2026, it will need 480,000 new technicians to maintain aircraft and over 350,000 more pilots.
Sen. Moran said the bipartisan resolution is endorsed by the National Business Aviation Association, the Airline Pilot Association, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association and the American Association of Airport Executives.
https://www.wibw.com/2021/03/10/sen-moran-works-to-recognize-women-in-aviation/