Only one in seven pilots in South Africa is a woman.
“At the end of July, only 1,590 of the licensed commercial pilots in the country are female compared to 11,338 that are male pilot licence holders,” said Poppy Khoza, civil aviation director at the SA Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA).
Khoza was speaking in Durban, where the aviation industry met at the National Aviation Gender Summit to examine the progress made towards the goal of 50/50 representation of women in the sector.
In 2019, aviation leaders in South Africa pledged their commitment to the United Nations sustainable development goal (SDG) of gender balance in employment, skills development, enterprise development and other initiatives.
On Wednesday, delegates at the summit learned at the end of July, out of the 25,830 licensed personnel, only 5,067 are female. This includes pilots, engineers, air traffic officers and cabin crew.
Khoza said the sector was far from reaching the 2030 goal.
“Being a female aviator is not a simple task; it carries a lot of barriers that one has to get past. I am a living testament of that climb. It has not been an easy road, getting the global and our national community to embrace gender participation, and while there have been some significant highlights, it is a fight that will take some time to win. We are still far from our goal,” she said.
“The United Nations 2030 agenda also calls for the adoption and strengthening of sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels.”
I think that we often find acting a mammoth task, but it begins with all of us implementing change in our immediate environments. Every day wasted is a day added to 102 years.
— Mkhuleko Hlengwa, deputy transport minister
South Africa’s efforts were recognised globally, she said.
“One such recognition is a recent survey which confirmed South Africa as having the third most female representation in pilots. This is encouraging feedback, but we are far from reaching the SDG goal of 50/50 representation in all professional and leadership positions. Whilst we welcome this good news, we also want to use this positive feedback and use it to push us to even greater heights.”
“Statistics at times can be deceiving because when you look at the South African population of 60-million then consider 51.1% of that population is female, you begin to realise the distance we still have to travel,” she said.
Khoza shared SACAA’s report card: “The SACAA employs approximately 529 employees, of which 52% of the employees are females and 48% are male. In the management category, 45% of the managers are female while 55% are male. From our inspectorate population, 37.1% of our inspectors are female.”
“In the executive structure, [there is] 50/50 split between males and females. Lastly, our board composition currently has 60% females and 40% males.
“Evidently, we still have a long way to go to achieve the 50/50 split in the inspectorate category, but we are focused and we will achieve this target by 2030, as called for in the SDGs.”
National transport deputy minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa said according to the World Economic Forum “Global Gender Gap 2023” report, it would take 102 years to close the gender gap in sub-Saharan Africa.
“This is a statistic that should awaken our fires to act. I think that we often find acting a mammoth task, but it begins with all of us implementing change in our immediate environments. Every day wasted is a day added to 102 years,” he said.
“The most critical question we must answer today is: how are we going to use the next six years to multiply these numbers to reach the required goal? Will we take 102 years to reach this 50% goal as an industry in South Africa?”
It is crucial to move from “having exemplary laws on paper to realising tangible results on the ground”, said Hlengwa.
“I am encouraged by the ongoing bursaries, mentorship and skills development programmes that have been initiated by all of our aviation entities to encourage a new generation of professionals, especially in previously disadvantaged communities. We acknowledge the efforts from entities such as the SACAA, who have dedicated funds and personnel in creating initiatives such as the career awareness programmes, where there has been a concerted effort to drive and promote female participation in this industry.”
“Proactive measures are crucial in reshaping a sector that has traditionally been dominated by men. The dedication to creating opportunities and fostering a more inclusive environment is commendable and marks a significant step forward.
“Across the broader transport sector — encompassing taxis, railways and bus operations — aviation stands out among leading modes of transport in its commitment to gender diversity and inclusion. Transformation in the aviation sector is crucial not only for industry to grow but the economy to grow.”
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