Go Shirley

We have been trying to improve the "balance" of membership for years.

Our experience with female membership is -
There are less chances of being exposed to gliding for females.
Therefore there are lower percentages.
Our hobby/sport involves a lot of dirt, sweat and sunshine, and
occasional mud and grease. (so do many other sports- think of BMX.) but
many ladies prefer to avoid the muck.
Women tend to get patronised, and the type of person who makes a good
glider pilot seldom likes being patronised.
Gliding is a very individual sport, that involves a lot of team/social
interaction. Our ladies like that.
Soaring takes a lot of time, and many women are busy raising families
(often single handedly) which mitigates against the neccessary time
commitments.

I hope our club is getting to the point where the ladies reach critical
mass (currently 20%) - presumably the culture will change a bit, and
maybe we will find and retain a more representative membership.

Since we started we have attracted about 25% of new members being female.

Now - on trying to attract non-white membership - One out of 25 so
far... In a country where "European descent" is less than 10% of the
population we "palefaces" have virtual exclusivity in gliding. Why?

Cheers
Bruce

Shirley wrote:
"John Mason" wrote:


I don't want to offend any women by making
any generalisations about their characteristics,


Right. Nice disclaimer. I wonder if this wasn't complete trolling, but I don't
care, gonna respond anyway. As you said, "stuff that."


They just hate it. How many women compared to
men will go for a day at the club with you? The few
that do come with me always regret it and so I just
don't ask them along anymore.


I'm not surprised (that they regret it), since you already have your mind made
up that 97% of us "just hate it". Sounds to me as if you'd rather be there
alone anyway.


Women don't thrill seek, they are timid and cautious
or less reckless [snip]


Less reckless is often mistaken for timid and cautious. True, most of us
"Vagino-Americans" (what a GREAT term!) are less likely than you testosterone
machines of climbing into an aircraft to see how many revolutions it will spin
in x-number of feet before we know how to competently do slow flight. Oh...but
of course, I'm not making any generalizations about the characteristics of men,
either. We like thrills just like you guys do, but yes, if we're going to be
the one at the controls, we like to have a thorough understanding of what we're
doing first. If you want to call that being timid and cautious, be my guest.


That's how it is and you can try to force change with
positive discrimination and schemes and systems but
what for; to turn women into men?


Excuse me? You might not have noticed, but not ALL of us women glider pilots
talk, walk, think, dress, act or look like men. I still like to smell like a
flower at least when I arrive at the gliderport, and I still reach for my
hairbrush and lip gloss after I've helped get my glider back into the hangar
and taken the weights out at the end of the day. But that doesn't mean that I'm
not just as excited as any man when I see the Vario shoot up and the altimeter
on the incline or when I've just touched down *like buttah*.


It is not like the education issue in the 60's. There is
no prejudice, and there are no substantial barriers to
women who want to go gliding.


There are no substantial barriers--that is, everyone involved in the training
aspect that I've ever met has welcomed me. But no prejudice? Are you serious?!
The majority of men where I fly are wonderful people--supportive, encouraging,
and helpful, and they act like gentlemen. There are, however, a few who have
their minds made up about women and why we're there (or not there) and who
clearly believe that we should never have been given the opportunity to
infiltrate this little corner of THEIR world. If any woman's intro to gliders
involved one of the latter group, it's no wonder they regret being there. After
reading your post, I'd be surprised if you weren't part of that group.


They can do it if they want, its just they don't
want to and they never will.


Some don't and never will; some men don't like to shop and never will either
... so what's your point? Some women share the interest and fascination and fly
gliders with as much or more enthusiasm and passion as you guys, whether at the
controls or as a passenger, whether at 5000 feet or 15000 feet, whether right
above their home airport or on a cross-country. It's just easier for people
like you to ignore the 3% of us (repeating your number, I have no idea if
that's accurate or not) who DO appreciate and love to fly so you can make the
sweeping generalizations and blanket statements that you just made.

Sorry your disclaimer wasn't effective ... it's just that you did exactly what
you said you didn't want to do -- offend, be sexist, stereotype.

Overall, this has been an amusing thread.
--Shirley (shopping for a dress ... imagine that, John, a woman glider pilot
who hasn't turned into a man!)