Aerospace, especially in its more technical fields, remains a largely male-dominated environment. Despite this, companies such as EADS increasingly are recognising the benefits of a gender-integrated workforce.
For the second time at Le Bourget, EADS is running a dedicated Women's Day. This year the programme will highlight gender diversity issues and the progress it has made in addressing them since instituting a diversity policy in 2003.
EADS will host a programme of seminars, workshops and other events this Wednesday and will be distributing brochures and showing films relating to women at EADS and throughout the industry at its stand (Hall 2, A18). Female employees of EADS will be at the stand to chat with visitors about their experiences.
"Men and women tend to have different skills and personality types," says Sophie Gonce, personnel marketing, EADS. "It can only be beneficial to have both working on the same project.
"We have noticed this in design teams within the company and have also been working with various experts on the issue."
By way of illustration, one of the events taking place on Wednesday at Le Bourget will be a technical aerospace exercise involving three teams of engineering and business undergraduates - one wholly female, one male and one mixed team - which EADS expects to demonstrate the benefits of mixed teams.
Over the last two years, EADS's diversity policy has concentrated on external marketing to women of opportunities within the company and the industry in general, in its core locations - especially France, and to a lesser degree Germany and Spain. As the next phase of the policy, it is now expanding the work it has already done to other locations where it operates, such as the UK, and turning the focus of the policy towards women already employed in the company and how best to help them achieve their goals.
Flexible working, home-working and mentoring from senior, role model figures within the company are all to be introduced more fully across the company - however, EADS is keen not to alienate male employees and, although the policies are designed to provide an environment in which women can thrive, they will all apply equally to all employees.
"We are definitely against quotas and we don't want to create positive discrimination within the company," says Gonce, "so most of the policies we are introducing can apply to both men and women - remote working, for example, will be possible for everyone."
Testimonials
For the same reason, EADS has largely avoided attending recruitment events specifically designed for women, but instead has made sure to provide female testimonials and employees at the events where it does have a presence.
"We started off sending mostly executive women, role models," says Gonce, "but that is not always useful. They can be too perfect and we want to provide students with a realistic experience they can identify with, so we put up women at all levels and areas of the company.
"Both internally and externally, we have noticed an impact.
"More women are becoming interested in the topic and getting involved at different events. The questions they raise tend to focus on what the company will do to help them keep the balance between their professional and family life.
"They also know that aerospace, even more than something like automotive, is a pretty male industry and they are sceptical about how they can work in it or integrate with it."
As well as extending some of the gender diversity initiatives to other locations, taking into account local conditions and sensibilities, EADS plans to concentrate on cultural diversity in the future by recruiting people from further a field. It is also in the process in France of formulating a policy on ethnic diversity, to try to create a truly diverse global organisation.
For the second time at Le Bourget, EADS is running a dedicated Women's Day. This year the programme will highlight gender diversity issues and the progress it has made in addressing them since instituting a diversity policy in 2003.
EADS will host a programme of seminars, workshops and other events this Wednesday and will be distributing brochures and showing films relating to women at EADS and throughout the industry at its stand (Hall 2, A18). Female employees of EADS will be at the stand to chat with visitors about their experiences.
"Men and women tend to have different skills and personality types," says Sophie Gonce, personnel marketing, EADS. "It can only be beneficial to have both working on the same project.
"We have noticed this in design teams within the company and have also been working with various experts on the issue."
By way of illustration, one of the events taking place on Wednesday at Le Bourget will be a technical aerospace exercise involving three teams of engineering and business undergraduates - one wholly female, one male and one mixed team - which EADS expects to demonstrate the benefits of mixed teams.
Over the last two years, EADS's diversity policy has concentrated on external marketing to women of opportunities within the company and the industry in general, in its core locations - especially France, and to a lesser degree Germany and Spain. As the next phase of the policy, it is now expanding the work it has already done to other locations where it operates, such as the UK, and turning the focus of the policy towards women already employed in the company and how best to help them achieve their goals.
Flexible working, home-working and mentoring from senior, role model figures within the company are all to be introduced more fully across the company - however, EADS is keen not to alienate male employees and, although the policies are designed to provide an environment in which women can thrive, they will all apply equally to all employees.
"We are definitely against quotas and we don't want to create positive discrimination within the company," says Gonce, "so most of the policies we are introducing can apply to both men and women - remote working, for example, will be possible for everyone."
Testimonials
For the same reason, EADS has largely avoided attending recruitment events specifically designed for women, but instead has made sure to provide female testimonials and employees at the events where it does have a presence.
"We started off sending mostly executive women, role models," says Gonce, "but that is not always useful. They can be too perfect and we want to provide students with a realistic experience they can identify with, so we put up women at all levels and areas of the company.
"Both internally and externally, we have noticed an impact.
"More women are becoming interested in the topic and getting involved at different events. The questions they raise tend to focus on what the company will do to help them keep the balance between their professional and family life.
"They also know that aerospace, even more than something like automotive, is a pretty male industry and they are sceptical about how they can work in it or integrate with it."
As well as extending some of the gender diversity initiatives to other locations, taking into account local conditions and sensibilities, EADS plans to concentrate on cultural diversity in the future by recruiting people from further a field. It is also in the process in France of formulating a policy on ethnic diversity, to try to create a truly diverse global organisation.
Source: Flight Daily News
