See Jane Fly: Feminism in Aviation

The "Golden Age of Air Travel" was a mythical era, with commercial and military aviation being strictly gendered and racist divisions of labor. Western culture was built upon images of men as chivalrous knights, cowboys, and soldiers, while women were defined by their domesticity as mothers and homemakers. Airlines recruited women for their femininity to look after male clientele.

Format: Unspecified
Length: 323 pages
Publication date: 09 June 2022
Publisher: SunRise Publishing Ltd

The "Golden Age of Air Travel" is often romanticized, but it was far from the idyllic era we imagine. Like other forms of transportation at the time, commercial and military aviation were deeply segregated and discriminatory, both in the cockpit and cabin. Piloting was a lifelong career for white men, while "stewardessing" was a temporary role for women. Western culture was largely shaped by images of men as rugged knights, cowboys, and soldiers, living adventurous lives and cherishing camaraderie in various settings. However, the reality was quite different. By the early 20th century, few men had actually experienced life as cowboys or served in the military. Yet, the mythology persisted, fueled by paperback novels and later Hollywood films. National identity was closely tied to masculinity, with the cowboy representing the United States, the "digger" representing Australia, and the lumberjack, Mountie, and air ace representing Canada. Women in pulp fiction and movies were typically portrayed as either the loyal and forgiving wife and mother, the schoolmarm, or the dance hall prostitute. Pilots were defined by their rigorous training, professionalism, and bravery in the air, holding immense authority over frightened passengers. Even a learned professor cited Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, suggesting that pilots had evolved from birds and the rest of humanity from fish, rendering them incapable of flying planes. Women, on the other hand, were defined by their domestic roles as mothers and homemakers. Airlines actively recruited them for their femininity, viewing them as substitute mothers, wives, and daughters to cater to male clientele. Albert James Mills, in his book "Sex, Strategy, and the Stratosphere," noted the association between commercial flying and maleness, emphasizing the male-dominated nature of the industry at the time.

Weight: 750g
Dimension: 216 x 140 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781914489235