Originally posted by Toad
Can't speak for the way things are now. I do remember that when the first 5 females made it through pilot training they were given special treatment. That treatment didn't make the course harder, either. So I don't know if you could have said obstacles were placed in their way; I think the opposite was true.
Hi Toad,
Women were denied permission to fly in combat until 1991.
That was a serious obstacle.
Yes, often when a minority is given a pathway to an undiscovered country such as women flying combat, special allowances are made to easy the way initially.
This is often viewed as unfair. Things tend to settle out over the long run, all things being equal. Women flying combat was still met with biased resentment and slow acceptance on part of the male pilots. Their collective attitudes are reported to have changed quite a bit since 1991 ...to the good.
Same thing happened when blacks were finally allowed combat roles and finally allowed to vote unopposed by racial bias.
Women flying in combat presently, no doubt, earn the right to be there based on their ability to get the job done as do blacks of either gender.
For women with potential and interest in engineering, the obstacles start in grade school and continue due to society's gender bias.
Male and females are different thus society plays a very large role in enabling/disabling on a gender basis.
Good thing about society is its fluidity. It takes a little coaxing and a lot of time to change, but it does change slowly ...As we can all see with women flying in combat roles today... and also women in engineering in an increasing way.
Some male attitudes here in Aces High is evidence that gender bias is alive and well though not universal among all men.
For example, Tour 91, last month, a male pilot callsign Zack(etc) discovered I was flying due to convos on channel 200. He asked me if I was female to which I said yes. His next msg was to the effect: "Then I am going to un-sub. I don't want to fly with females.”
I laughed and asked him if he was gay just to tease him. The guys got a laugh out of his responses on ch:200.
I am accustomed to attitudes like that and don't take it personally nor seriously. I wanted to go send to him to the tower just so I might see his reaction to "SYSTEM: TIGERESS shot you down". hahahaha
(I shot down over 160 planes last month (my first tour); most if not all were males.)
But I didn't bother to find Zack. I was busy having fun, instead.
Some people will never change their biases.
Many, however, overcome their bias ...over time.
Society is slow, yet fluid, in that regard ...like thick molasses.
TIGERESS
