NEWS AND INSIGHTS UPDATE:
It’s been nearly 20 years since the first American woman, Sally Ride, went to space (check out a great women in space timeline), and times have changed a lot since then. Today, women are increasingly moving up and taking top positions in aerospace companies.
Lockheed Martin Corp. recently named Marilyn A. Hewson as its first female chief executive, and Phoebe Novakovic took over as chief executive at General Dynamics a few months ago. W.J. Hennigan of the Los Angeles Times writes:
“Other women in the industry are rocketing to the top as well. By next year, six women will sit on aerospace giant Northrop Grumman Corp.‘s 14-member senior management team. This month, Boeing Co. shook up its executive ranks and named seven people to leadership roles — five of whom are women.
“Female engineers, scientists and managers who joined the industry during the Cold War are rising to prominence in a staid industry long dominated by men. Although women have climbed to the top of other industries for decades, aerospace has gone without women at the top until recent years.”
Of course, the gender gap is still huge, but every step closer to gender parity is a good one. The industry has changed a lot since the 1980’s when Boeing’s Santa Susana Mountains test facilities in Simi Valley had only men’s rooms, meaning women had to go to a different building to find a bathroom.
Get the details: Women are increasingly ascending to top posts at aerospace firms via www.latimes.com
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