Stubborn gender gap in aerospace

By Jim Davis HBJ Editor

The percentage of women working in the aerospace industry in Washington has remained stagnant for more than 20 years, according to a state labor market economist.

Women account for one in four jobs in aerospace and that has changed little since the 1990s, said Anneliese Vance-Sherman, an Employment Security Department economist based in Everett.

I try not to go in with too many preconceived ideas when looking at the data, Vance-Sherman said. I knew it was going to be a male-dominated industry, but I thought there was going to be some change.

That snapshot is for the entire industry, from accountants and receptionists to machinists and CEOs.

The percentage is even lower when focusing on engineers and management.

Its far fewer, said Sue Chodakewitz, chair of Women in Aerospace, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., dedicated to expanding opportunities for women in the industry. Its not just CEOs. Its senior managers and executives.

On the positive side, women who work in aerospace in Washington make far more than men and women in other professions.

And while theres a wage gap between the genders within aerospace, its been narrowing slowly and surely.

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Stubborn gender gap in aerospace