Women in Military Aviation
Abstract
As women become increasingly involved in the world of aviation and combat flying roles, questions concerning gender issues in the cockpit are becoming extremely relevant. Some of the most significant areas of concern dealing with women in the cockpit are behavior, body composition, anthropometry, biomechanics, physiology, health, and learning. This project addresses these seven areas of concern for women in military aviation. We conducted this review through a literature search, and through interviews with both women and men in the operational Air Force and the civilian world. In addition, a computer-based simulator was used to compare the learning characteristics between men and women for basic flying skills. All the research cited reached the same general conclusions. There is no difference in the abilities of men and women to perform successfully and safely in an aviation career. The statistical analysis of the data collected for this experiment produced similar results; there was no significant difference between men and women in any of the four measures used to test basic flying performance. Overall, both men and women are physically and mentally equally qualified to pursue aviation careers.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA381795
Entities
People
- James C Miller
- Katrine M. Waterman
Organizations
- United States Air Force Academy