Target V's Quota In Aviation Aerospace

In the world of diversity and inclusion, particularly when it comes to gender diversity, the great debate over Targets v’s Quota’s is a particularly hot one and none the less extremely apparent within the aviation industry in Australia.

The issue is particularly complex, as there are so many technical/specialist areas within aviation, most of which are inherently male-oriented.

It is my opinion that any set Targets or Quotas should be appropriate to each specific area in which they’re applied.

As an example, which I comment from personal experience, in aviation where only around 5% of commercial pilots are women it seems pointless to set a Target or Quota for recruitment that may not actually be possible to meet.

Based on a recent airline target of 50:50 gender for a pilot training program, I would find it very difficult to believe, that with the small percentage of women currently in the industry, how this could be obtainable within a short amount of time?

Many women in aviation strongly oppose the idea of Targets or Quotas based on the grounds that this type of recruiting does not reflect the individual’s actual capabilities, and believe that all recruitment should be purely merit based.

Obtaining a role based on gender to fill a Target or Quota leaves the person wondering if they got the job based on their actual skill set, or was it because they were needed to fill a Quota or Target?

In all honesty, as a commercial pilot who has worked extremely hard throughout my career to achieve my licenses and ratings, I also believe this statement.

We should all be employed based on the best person for the job.

However, as a company manager, who runs a business based on strategic planning and targets, there needs to be a measurable outcome, so I do see the need and value in setting a measurable goal, obtainable within a reasonable time frame.

Having an appropriate Target or Quota whatever we wish to use, within the aviation piloting community will help to ensure that;

· women pilots are encouraged to apply

· the pace of change will increase, and

· young women who are considering flying as a career will see a clear and concise pathway into the industry

Many people (both male and female) are equally opposed to Targets or Quotas since they fear that it will be seen as tokenistic, and that less capable people will be selected during the recruitment process, which will lack transparency.

It is my personal opinion that Targets and Quota’s do not fit overly well into the aviation space, but both options have good and bad points relevant to them.

It is also my opinion that in aviation we should be setting a measurable goal within our industry as a whole, to increase the percentage of women in the industry across the board.

A goal that is derived to meet a realistic need to fill roles with female candidates and one that cannot be manipulated or used to meet a company’s personal agenda, in an attempt be seen as having a strong organizational culture towards gender diversity.

Whether this is undertaken as a Target or a Quota will depend completely on the organizational structure, culture and its overall strategic vision.

My personal definitions of targets and quotas are:

· Targets are aspirational goals that aren’t required to be achieved.

· Quotas, on the other hand, are mandated outcomes, that is they must be achieved.

Targets versus quotas: The Pro’s & Con’s

Gender diversity targets and quotas both aim to improve gender equality in leadership.

However, there are quite distinct differences between the two strategies.

Targets

· Targets are specific measurable objectives (goals), generally set by an organization based on their business requirements.

· Targets are voluntarily undertaken at the business’s own discretion, with discrete timeframes in which they are to be achieved. Which can lead to longer than anticipated outcomes for the Targets to be effective.

· Targets may lead to talented women being identified who would otherwise be overlooked. This increases the talent pool and should facilitate women's workforce retention.

· Targets are familiar to, and understood by, business. They have been acknowledged as an effective tool to improve performance and have been applied on a range of business issues from sales performance to safety improvements.

· Targets are therefore increasingly suggested as likely to be effective for promoting gender equity.

· As targets are voluntary, not all companies will set them, or they may set targets which are ineffective to drive change, for example, set too low.

· Targets may mean that good male candidates can be overlooked, which would be disadvantageous to the business itself and may possibly cause women to be viewed less favorably

Quotas

· Quotas are mandatory. Like targets, quotas are also specific, time bound measurable objectives, but are usually set externally by a body with authority to impose them on organizations (for example, the Parliament).

· Establishing quotas usually includes setting penalties for failing to meet them. These are enforced by a body external to an individual company and are non-negotiable by individual organizations.

· Quotas work relatively quickly. Companies have to comply so they do.

· Quotas force gender equality to the top of a company's agenda

· Quotas will force a wider search for candidates, thereby increasing the talent pool. This will help overcome stereotypes and biases about whether men or women are better suited for particular positions, which impacts on genuine merit-based appointments.

· Quotas may mean that in attaining seniority through this mechanism, women may be marginalized and viewed as tokens.

· Quotas may add to business regulation and costs.

Many large organizations and individual employers have acted upon setting Targets or Quotas within their business to improve the gender balance.

By establishing these processes, they have created a disciplined approach to change and enabled their organization to capitalize on female talent.

By establishing a Target or Quota, they have also created a measurable outcome and demonstrated a commitment to deliver on clear and concise accountabilities which will improve overall performance and allow better access to the entire talent pool.

Additionally there is a very strong business case for organizations that prove to be gender diverse, as it is a successful business who will attract and retain both men and women to their workforce.

As we move forward with gender inclusivity within aviation, we need to address how we truly identify the white elephant in the room; what is best for our industry? - A Target Or a Quota?

How do we see ourselves moving forward over the next 20 years, ensuring continued gender diversity within our industry? Are we setting realistic outcomes?

I believe we need a strong unified plan of attack. Our industry is extremely unique and requires the same standardized, procedural driven approach that we undertake in all of our aviation practices.

With the small percentages of women currently working within our industry, it seems unrealistic to set mandatory Quota systems in place.

Quota’s only work if they are mandated by law and are limited to a shorter timeframe to push for faster outcomes.

Setting mandated quotas in an industry that barely has the female numbers to meet the basic targets at the best of times, will not work, let alone with a restricted timeframe and penalties associated with not meeting a set Quota will simply put more pressure on the industry.

If we want to continue to drive diversity within our industry we need to focus on setting realistic Targets, which will help to;

· Ensure that the best person is always selected for the job while remaining dedicated to our gender diversity goals.

· Encourage industry to set realistic voluntary Targets aligned with business needs, which have the flexibility to be as diverse as the industry they represent.

· Create measurable outcomes and demonstrated a commitment to deliver on accountabilities which will improve overall performance and allow better access to the entire talent pool.

Hiring within the aviation industry must be skill set and experienced based, I associate that with merit based hiring - the best person for the job. However the need to have gender diversity and inclusivity across the industry is of paramount importance, how we achieve this as an industry will lay the foundations for future generations to come.

Resource Links & Data

Percentage of Female airline pilots https://www.afr.com/world/asia/women-airline-pilots-the-country-with-the-most-female-pilots-will-surprise-you-20180912-h159p5

Air & Space Transport & Aircraft manufacturing comparison Data of Female to Males https://data.wgea.gov.au/comparison/?id1=59&id2=317

Air & Space Transport Data Comparisons https://data.wgea.gov.au/industries/59

Wome on Boards European Commission (2012), Women in economic decision-making in the EU: Progress report, European Commission, Brussels at

pp.17-18

Research suggests that establishing a diversity strategy including allocating responsibility to promote diversity and evaluating managers on how they perform has been associated with improved diversity performance in organisations. Russell, G & Herbert, C (2010), Workplace Gender Equality Act: Review of evidence based Gender Equality Indicators and Practices (WGEA, unpublished), citing Kalev, A, Dobbin, F, Kelly, E (2006), ‘Best practices or best guesses? Assessing the efficacy of corporate affirmative action and diversity policies’, American Sociological Review, vol. 71, pp. 589-617.

Whelan & Wood (2012), Targets and Quotas for Women in Leadership: A Global Review of Policy, Practice and Psychological Research, Melbourne, University of Melbourne reviewing a range of studies conclude that those selected under targets or quotas are ‘more likely to be seen as less qualified and less competent, and also less legitimate’ but strategies exist which can help overcome this, p.22.

Article - https://futurewomen.com/leadership/gender-diversity/the-great-debate-quotas-targets-and-which-reigns-supreme/

Australian Boards targets 30% https://www.ft.com/content/26a7e8fa-2462-11e9-8ce6-5db4543da632