Beyond the Numbers
International Women’s Day often brings a familiar set of statistics.
In aviation, around 6% of pilots are women. Fewer fly commercially. And fewer than 500 worldwide have ever become airline captains.
What’s striking isn’t just the numbers. It’s how little they’ve changed. But the real story isn’t the statistics. It’s what sits behind them.
Because this conversation was never about replacing one group with another, and it’s not about creating imbalance in the opposite direction.
It’s about opportunity.
Creating environments where the best people can contribute fully - regardless of background, because when you bring different perspectives into the same room, you make better decisions. That’s not ideology. That’s performance.
One question I was asked recently stayed with me: “Why do we need International Women’s Day?” The answer is simple. Because talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity still isn’t.
And until it is, the conversation still matters.