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Video: FlyShe initiative introduced to combat gender stereotypes in aviation

Flybe chief executive Christine Ourmieres-Widener has started an initiative highlighting career opportunities in the aviation sector.

FlyShe is a series of ongoing plans designed to tackle gender stereotypes, change aspirations and create opportunities for women.

This follows a poll which found that only 5% of passengers said they would feel safe with a woman at the controls of their aircraft.

“These shocking gender biases are endemic in popular culture and ingraining at an early age. This is limiting the career aspirations of girls and young women,” Ourmieres-Widener said.

“We will be providing educational materials, visiting schools, offering training and organising events to raise the sights of young girls everywhere.”

She added: “I was one of the few female engineers who worked on Concorde. Now I’m one of the only female airline CEOs in the world.

“I want to show girls and women that there are no glass ceilings in the sky.”

The regional carrier is supporting the gender diversity campaign with a dedicated FlyShe website highlighting activities and career opportunities for women with the airline.

It also showcases Flybe females and the various jobs they have at the airline.

The airline also polled 1,778 children to ask what they would like to be when they grow up and found that boys were twice as likely as girls to be an aircraft engineer. Boys were also four times more likely to want to be a pilot.

The airline then went on to ask ten young girls to draw a pilot and shared the results on Twitter.

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