by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 2:52 PM ET, Wed October 16, 2019
Amid a spate of recent news about the gender inequality plaguing the aviation industry, the International Air Transport Association has announced a new initiative designed to advance gender diversity.
IATA's new 25by2025 Campaign involves a voluntary commitment by participating member airlines to work toward a number of important goals, including
-Increasing the number of women in senior positions (to be defined by the member airlines) by either 25 percent against currently reported metrics or to a minimum representation of 25 percent by 2025
-Increasing the number of women in under-represented jobs (such as pilots and operations) by either 25 percent against currently reported metrics or to a minimum representation of 25 percent by 2025
-Reporting annually on key diversity metrics
Notably, a number of IATA member airlines have already signed up for the 25by2025Campaign including China Eastern, Lufthansa Group and Qatar Airways.
Though there is currently no comprehensive airline industry-wide gender diversity statistical report, according to IATA, women represent around 5 percent of the global pilot population and 3 percent of CEOs.
North America has the largest proportion of women in senior aviation roles at 16 percent, while female representation is lowest in the Middle East.
"Aviation is the business of freedom. An example of that is the freedom for 2.7 million women and men to develop exciting careers within this industry. But women are under-represented at senior levels and in some professions within airlines," said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA's director general and CEO.
Airlines understand the value that a diverse and gender-balanced workforce delivers, de Juniac added.
The 25by2025Campaign aims to provide a global context and encouragement for the many initiatives IATA members are already taking to address gender imbalance, de Juniac continued.
"I am confident that 25by2025 will be a major catalyst for progress-progress that will set the industry up to achieve even more in this important area," he said. "Our work will not be done in 2025, in fact, this is only the beginning. Our ultimate aim is of course for a 50-50 gender split with equal opportunities for everyone in every part of our industry,"
In addition to the commitments from member airlines under the 25by2025Campaign, IATA will also be making the following commitments:
-Increasing the representation of women in IATA's senior management (Directors and above) from the current 19 percent to at least 25 percent by 2025
-Working with member airlines to increase the number of women they appoint to IATA governance roles from the current 17 percent to a minimum of 25 percent by 2025
-Ensuring that the number of women participating as panelists/speakers at IATA conferences is a minimum of 25 percent by 2025.
-Creating a forum for sharing diversity and inclusion initiatives and best practices across the industry and publishing annual industry statistics on gender diversity.
Some airlines are working quickly to improve workplace diversity, according to a Bloomberg report. Qantas Airways Ltd.'s senior management is about 40 percent female, a figure that includes the heads of the international and frequent-flier loyalty businesses.
In February, Alaska Airlines signed a pledge with Sisters of the Skies, a nonprofit aimed at diversifying the pilot community. As part of the pledge Alaska Airlines promised to increase the number of female African American pilots that they employ at the airline and at Horizon Air over the next six years.
Only half of one percent of all professional pilots are African American women.
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