Thanks to the actions of pioneers in all walks of life, the idea of a job that can only be done by one gender is a deservedly outdated concept.
Of course, there’s a difference between believing that in abstract and actually ensuring that women receive equality of opportunity and are actually treated as equals when they enter prestigious careers that once all but openly disallowed them.
RELATED STORIES
But while it would be overly optimistic to say the old prejudices have been stamped out entirely, some industry leaders are taking an active role in encouraging young girls’ interest in science, technology, engineering, and math to ensure future diversity in these fields.
And Delta Airlines has a special way of showing this encouragement.
Yesterday, Delta held its fifth annual WING flight in honor of International Girls in Aviation Day.
WING stands for Women Inspiring Our Next Generation and in this case , it involved flying 120 girls out to Houston, where they would visit NASA’s Mission Control Center, Building 9, Johnson Space Center and Space Center Houston.
They also ate lunch with astronaut and aerospace engineer Jeanette Epps.
In total, Delta has taken 600 girls on similarly inclined trips, but that’s not all that makes this program special.
As written on Delta’s website , the flight that brought the girls on this trip featured an all-woman crew.
This wasn’t just limited to the pilots and the rest of the on-board crew either.
The all-female cast also extended to the ramp agents checking the plane and the luggage from the ground, the gate workers responsible for ensuring the passengers board the flight, and the air traffic controllers guiding the plane.
Delta General Manager Beth Poole, who was one of the people responsible for starting these WING Flights, said, “We’re taking ownership to improve gender diversity by exposing girls at a young age and providing a pipeline so that 10 years from now, they will be the pilots in the Delta cockpit inspiring generations of women who follow.”
h/t: Delta
