easyJet campaign reveals that children still stereotype jobs as being for men or women
By Rupert Cole on Thursday, February 22, 2024
Ahead of it’s 2024 Pilot Training Programme, easyJet has revealed research showing that children still think men are more likely to be airline pilots, builders, and mechanics, whereas women are typically thought of as nurses and hairdressers. Additionally, 47% of parents think that their children have already formed an opinion on the careers available to them before they turn 11.
easyJet’s campaign also included an experiment in which a group of seven-year-old children were asked to act out various vocations. Boys were captured reaching for long wigs and announcing that nurses have high-pitched voices, whilst girls adopted deep voices and put on fake beards and moustaches when playing the role of builders.
easyJet has launched this campaign before the advent of its 2024 Pilot Training Programme with the aim of tackling gender stereotypes and inspiring more women to consider a career in aviation. easyJet’s poll revealed that 52% of British primary school children and parents believe that a pilot is a job for a man. This is because 41% of children don’t believe they’ve ever seen a female pilot, and data shows that travellers will hear ‘This is Your Captain Speaking’ from a female voice in just 1 in 17 flights per year.
Captain Rebecca Epton, easyJet Pilot said: “This research clearly shows children are still forming opinions on the jobs available to them at a very young age, with views still reflecting outdated gender stereotypes. This is something easyJet has been focused on for a number of years, with our pilots visiting hundreds of schools and colleges across the country to challenge these stereotypes at school age, and is something we’ll continue to do alongside other actions, to ensure we are driving increased diversity within the profession for the long term.”
