Industry Insights

Soaring Through the Glass Ceiling with Airlines for America

December 18, 2019

Airlines for America (A4A) is proud to join six leading stakeholders in the aviation and aerospace industry to release “Soaring Through the Glass Ceiling,” a comprehensive study about gender diversity and the role of women within the industry.

The study, which is the first global survey of its kind, was spearheaded by Korn Ferry. From 2018-2019, more than 2,400 individuals within four sectors of the industry—women, business leaders, human resource leaders and educators—responded to the survey, which worked to identify inhibitors of gender diversity and develop actionable next steps.

Soaring Through the Glass Ceiling highlights the progress achieved by women in the industry and underscores the progress yet to be made.

The report identified five key drivers that successful organization consistently utilize to facilitate gender diversity and inclusivity:

• Publicly recognize and highlight female role models.
• Ensure and communicate unquestionable senior leadership commitment to D&I.
• Level set expectations with individual contributors and management, as individuals at lower levels are witnessing less progress on D&I than are their leaders.
• Ensure that more women have a seat at the table.
• Invest in more inclusive talent management and succession processes.

Study results varied across sectors and geography, but the United States proved positive findings regarding the proportion of women in senior executive positions, including at A4A.

“We have five senior vice presidents—four are female. Having such a strong female presence in leadership roles helps create a culture that attracts more women throughout the organization,” said Nick Calio, President and Chief Executive Officer of A4A.

At A4A, facilitating the growth and advancement of women in the aviation and aerospace industry is a priority. A4A is committed to recognizing achievements of leaders within the sector and advocating for the development and promotion of diverse talent in the aviation and aerospace workforce.

The full Soaring Through the Glass Ceiling report can be viewed here.