Family Factors Influencing Female Aerospace Student’s Choice of Major

In an effort to understand the factors that influence female student choice of an aviation career, a qualitative study was undertaken. Female Aerospace students at Middle Tennessee State University were interviewed to determine if there were common factors that encouraged them to pursue education in aviation. A content analysis of the interviews was performed, and the most commonly cited factor was having parents who were supportive of education. It was noteworthy that the majority of interviewed students did not have parents who specifically encouraged aviation as a course of study, but instead were open to their daughter pursuing a career field that interested them. It was also found that most female students did not have family connections to aviation, but were the first in their families to pursue an aviation career. The continued existence of stereotypes regarding male and female roles in the aviation workplace was also confirmed