Factors that Influence Women's Intentions to Persist in Collegiate Aviation Programs

The primary purpose of this research was to evaluate the differences in retention intention between men and women in collegiate aviation programs. Data was collected through the use of surveys and follow-up interviews. It was found that women are no more likely than men to consider dropping out of their academic institution or abandoning the pursuit of a career in aviation. Regardless of retention intention, women in collegiate aviation programs report a much lower sense of belonging than men, which can be attributed to low self-efficacy, a lack of representation of women, and feeling disconnected from both peers and faculty. All of the women interviewed did not identify gender as a salient identity when describing these similar experiences and instead pointed to other social identities and factors to explain their feelings. Survey and interview results, however, indicate that women in collegiate aviation programs often responded to questions similarly regardless of experience level, race and ethnicity, or sexual orientation.