Male-and-female-employment2012.pdf

Male and female employment
Male and female employment profile:
• 78 percent of the sector’s workforce is male
• Women only make up 13 per cent of the taxi and private hire operation
• The gender split within aviation is much more equal, with 44 per cent women
Whilst overall men dominate the workforce, core occupations in passenger transport are
characterised by large gender imbalances. Possibly the most extreme example is that only 13
percent of those working in taxi and private hire operations are women, whilst 79 percent of air
travel assistants are female.
The reasons for this mixed picture can largely be explained by two factors: Gender perceptions of
specific occupations and the nature of specific job roles (for instance, flexibility of hours and safety).
Table: Core occupations dominated by gender
Roles dominated by men
Roles dominated by women
Rail construction and maintenance operatives (100%) Air travel assistants (79%)
Aircraft pilots (98%) Air traffic controllers (29%)
Train drivers (96%) Rail travel assistants (27%)
Taxi and private hire (94%) Driving instructor (20%)
Bus and coach drivers (92%) Air transport operatives (17%)
Source: People 1 st analysis of the Labour Force Survey 2010, Office for National Statistics
Gender perception of specific occupations
Some sector job roles are still largely considered to be either male or female, which results in
applicants being biased towards one particular gender.
Of all the passenger transport industries, aviation is the most gender balanced industry, with women
making up 44 percent of the workforce. However, within the sector there are clear gender divisions
across occupations, with engineering, firefighting and airside operations employing more men, while
cabin crew and roles in travel and tourist services are clearly dominated by women. Employers rule
out discrimination, but point at obvious cultural factors and at the imbalance of applications for
some roles.
People 1st developed Women 1st, a targeted intervention to promote female career progression
and the development of women within the hospitality workforce. Following the merger between
People 1 st and GoSkills this programme is now being extended and tailored to target women
employed in the passenger transport sector.
“I think it’s generally because public transport has always been seen as a male domain. It’s not for
the want of trying. We are happy to take female employees in driving, engineering and management
roles.”
Mike Morton, Managing Director, Arriva Wales, Bus and coach
“It just seems to occur naturally. For example you put out an application form for control room staff
and 80 percent of the applicants are women, and you put out a driver advert and 80 percent are
men. There are no barriers.”
Peter Renwick, General Manager, Premier Car, Taxi and private hire
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