3 women in male-dominated industries get real about sexism

Summary

In this engaging and eye-opening discussion, three women from male-dominated fields—culinary arts, aerospace engineering, and aviation—share their personal experiences with sexism and breaking stereotypes. The conversation reveals both the challenges and triumphs of navigating these industries. They discuss the barriers women face at various stages of their careers and talk about their efforts to inspire and support future generations. Despite the difficulties, they all emphasize the importance of representation and changing perceptions by simply excelling in their fields.

Highlights

• Charlotte faced sexism in culinary competitions and realized the harsh realities later on 🍳
• Natalie credits her path in aerospace to supportive school champions but acknowledges her privilege 🚀
• Maria found encouragement as a pilot and works to raise awareness of opportunities for women ✈️
• The women discussed the importance of inspiring young girls and breaking entry barriers 🌟
• Industry-wide change and inclusivity are necessary to retain and elevate more women 🏆

Key Takeaways

• Despite progress, sexism is still a challenge in male-dominated industries 🌐
• Representation matters; seeing women succeed can inspire future generations 👩‍🚀
• Supportive mentors can play a crucial role in women's career paths 📈
• Women are actively working to create safer, more inclusive environments 🙌
• Changing stereotypes and biases requires effort from both individuals and the industry ⚙️

Overview

In a captivating discussion hosted by Cityline, three women from traditionally male-dominated fields shared their personal stories of battling sexism while establishing their careers. Charlotte, a chef, recalls her initial naivety and eventual stark realization of gender bias when competing in culinary contests. Meanwhile, Natalie and Maria, from aerospace engineering and aviation respectively, navigated their paths with somewhat less direct encounters with sexism, though they remain critically aware of the broader industry dynamics.

Charlotte recounts a pivotal moment during a culinary competition where she was bluntly told her gender caused her loss. This revelation marked a turning point in her understanding of workplace sexism. On the other hand, Maria shares how being given positive feedback from passengers reinforces her belief in breaking stereotypes, showing how important visibility is for women in aviation. Natalie highlights her privilege and the significance of support systems in helping women enter and thrive in industries like aerospace.

These women are not just surviving but thriving and making strides to reshape their industries. They emphasize the importance of being role models and mentors to inspire future generations of women. They all recognized the varying stages of challenges women face within their careers, from entry to advancement, and the collective need to address these issues through education, visibility, and systemic change. Their stories portray a hopeful outlook in combating inequality and promoting inclusivity.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction The chapter begins with an introduction to the topic of women in male-dominated fields, such as pilots, chefs, and rocket scientists. The speaker applauds these women for their accomplishments and sets the stage for a discussion on their experiences, covering the positive and negative aspects of their careers. The focus is on understanding the challenges they face and celebrating their milestones. The chapter emphasizes the commitment required from these women to balance their demanding careers with participating in discussions like this.
• 00:30 - 03:00: Charlotte: Breaking Into Culinary World Charlottte shares her unexpected journey into the culinary world, initially aspiring to be a singer. Her pivot to cooking began at a culinary school in eastern Canada, which served as an inclusive and balanced environment conducive to personal and professional growth.
• 03:00 - 05:00: Natalie: Journey to Aerospace Engineering Natalie's journey into the field of aerospace engineering began with her experience working in the restaurant industry. Initially naive to the gender discrimination happening around her, it took a significant incident for her to realize the extent of the differential treatment she faced because she was a woman. This realization was a turning point for Natalie, altering her awareness of gender dynamics in professional settings.
• 05:00 - 08:00: Maria: Flying High as a Female Pilot In this chapter, titled 'Maria: Flying High as a Female Pilot,' the narrative focuses on Maria's experience competing as a chef. Although the chapter title suggests discussing her career as a pilot, the transcript reveals that Maria recounts her participation in a culinary competition. She was the only female and the youngest among all competitors, a fact she noticed, but it also spurred her sense of achievement and equality with other chefs. Her dedication was evident as she practiced hard, despite nervousness, and successfully created a beautiful dish. The chapter likely draws a parallel between her culinary challenge and her journey in aviation, both fields where she excelled against the odds.
• 08:00 - 10:00: Challenges in Male-Dominated Fields The chapter discusses the challenges faced by women in male-dominated fields, highlighting a particular instance where a woman lost a competition not based on merit but due to gender bias. A judge informed her that as the only woman competitor judged by an all-male panel, she was at a disadvantage from the start. This revelation underscores the biases and discrimination women often encounter in environments dominated by men.
• 10:00 - 13:00: Adapting to Fit In The transcript revolves around the theme of adapting to fit into a certain environment, particularly within male-dominated fields. It touches on the realization that just because something is a certain way doesn't mean it should be. The speaker shares a personal aspiration of becoming an astronaut, highlighting the challenges and the process involved in pursuing such a path. The conversation hints at the difficulties faced by those who work in environments where they are the minority and the emotional toll it can sometimes take, as evidenced by the desire to cry in the shower for an hour. The transcript suggests a broader reflection on societal norms and the need for change.
• 13:00 - 15:00: Encouraging Women to Enter Male-Dominated Fields The chapter titled 'Encouraging Women to Enter Male-Dominated Fields' highlights the experience of a female astronaut who pursued a career in mechanical and aerospace engineering. Despite being aware of her minority status in these fields, she remained focused on her goals and fortunately encountered few negative experiences. Acknowledging her privilege as a white woman, she emphasizes the importance of outreach to support and encourage other women in similar pursuits.

3 women in male-dominated industries get real about sexism Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 [Applause] pilots chefs or rocket scientists do you know who are women well we found three and today we're gonna chat about being a woman in a male-dominated field the good the bad and the ugly please welcome our pilot please welcome Peterson with us today because you've got busy lives and I know that you had to pull yourselves away from your career to have this chat I want to start by talking about how difficult it was to actually get into
• 00:30 - 01:00 your line of work if it was difficult at all and sure that I'm gonna start with you was it tough well I fell into cooking kinda by accident the first time I actually wanted to be a famous singer that didn't time so anyway can you give us really not so I fell into it by going to culinary school and in the east coast of Canada and that place was sort of a neutral territory for growth everyone was treated the same everyone was invited to contribute there was a combination of both male and female chef instructors that seems sort of a good neutral ground to being to be introduced
• 01:00 - 01:30 to when I finally got into the scene like started working in a restaurant for the very first time I actually was very naive and didn't even recognize what was happening until many years later what was happening I was being treated differently because I was a woman I didn't notice that until this one moment and then it flipped my entire just flipped me upside-down was like this is the reality of how you even treated these past few years and you didn't even know you didn't even recognize it okay do you mind telling us what the incident was that sort of opened your eyes to an
• 01:30 - 02:00 afront here I definitely can tell you I was doing a culinary competition so they asked me to come back to Pei or come back this place and compete against all these other chefs I was like this is exciting I'm gonna I've made it I was the only chef that happened to be a female competing I was also the youngest so that was a I noticed that but I was gonna go that's cool maybe I finally made it I'm in value I'm equal to all these chefs I competed I practiced really hard I was super nervous but I was like the dish was gorgeous
• 02:00 - 02:30 everything was planned out I practiced the judge came to me afterwards they're like so you lost so I was like sucks and he goes Wow you lost because you're a woman I was like excuse me I'm like are you telling me this because you believe that to be true or because you're kind of being horrible to me right now he goes the moment you walked into this place you're the only woman all the judges were men and the second he walked in you lost I'm like I can't believe you're telling me this I walked away she's like I'm just tying this
• 02:30 - 03:00 because that's the way that it is like just because it's the way that it is does not mean that's the way that it should be so thank you very much some expletives uh-huh yeah I want to go cry the shower for an hour this is really interesting so I want to get Natalie's take on this you are in a very male-dominated field any issues like that was it easy to get into it for me my goal was to be an astronaut that was always my long-term dream and that path to figuring out how you actually be an
• 03:00 - 03:30 astronaut is pretty challenging and so I had some pretty good champions in high school that led me into mechanical engineering and then to aerospace I was always aware that I was a minority in those fields but I think because I had such a lofty goal I was always head down studying and I'm lucky that I haven't had too many negative experiences along my path but I'm also aware that I am a white woman in my field and I am in a position of privilege and so I work really hard in my outreach to make sure
• 03:30 - 04:00 that people coming in and young women especially are entering safe spaces where barriers that have no business being barriers or knocked down okay miss Maria so as a pilot you are remote you're mostly surrounded by men yeah have you had any incidents of sexism has it been sort of like Natalie's situation and not that bad for me it's not been that bad actually the most feedback that I've been getting anything really positive people be like any more female
• 04:00 - 04:30 pilots and it could be after flight that even passengers would stick to head into flight they can say like well done and that was good yes yeah so they're proud exactly yeah it's a rarity and people want to celebrate that getting into that profession what was that like I never saw it as a challenge to be female I was just like I want to be a pilot so how do we make reality out of this and I went on and did it I googled how to be a pilot I never thought it would be different because I'm female it's not
• 04:30 - 05:00 before after I started flying there I realized that I don't fly with that many female catkins actually right it only happened once in four years that you had a female capsule yeah well here's what I want to know then seeing since it's kind of been smooth sailing for you Maria I mean and also Natalie outside of having to know your field which is difficult why do you think more women don't go into it into your industries any thoughts I think we have to look at the problem with a wider lens so there's the
• 05:00 - 05:30 first challenge of inspiring young women to go into the field in the first place so maybe entering an engineering degree and then you have to consider how many people or women graduate with that degree yeah after they graduate how many women go into that industry once they're in industry how many stay for five years 10 years how many move up into director level board level or management positions so there's obstacles at all stages of the pipeline and how we address those different stages are very different problems I think okay Charlotte I have one for you do you feel
• 05:30 - 06:00 like you've ever had to alter yourself in order to fit in better into that men's club how do percent I was trained all my mentors and chefs have been male and that was just what it was I never trained under a few chefs that happened to be a female excuse me yeah and I learned in my environment you know work in the line you're hauling the bags potatoes you're cutting fish whatever you may do what you're doing to act like the environment that was around me which
• 06:00 - 06:30 was typically male driven so when I became I had my first chef position I was 25 years old I was really excited and I was like I'm gonna only hire young attractive men to do all I have asked them that was the mentality right it's a guy that I worked for Austin Townsend chef there's a bunch of girls in pastry and gamma J and they look click like they do these things and they do these things and that was the only girl at that time actually oh that's a lie excuse me I was one of two women that were on the hot side of the kitchen I actually like working stoves
• 06:30 - 07:00 right he's a big deal so I learned in that environment to act like a guy and I realized that the language I'm using not just my physical and my vocal language that I was quite I was sexualized in a lot of the environment and the communication that I was using I was becoming a part of the problem of the education for the next group in the next generation of my staff by picking up like the bro culture like hey good job you know slapping of the derriere like
• 07:00 - 07:30 that's good stuff so though I guess I'm trying to say is that the language but the language that we're talking about about sexuality consents women and industry how do we talk about it how do we open up this box and use the language properly and I feel like the box has been open it's been like yeah there's a lot of conversation about that now I'll leave the last thought with Maria then in order to have more female captain's in your industry is there anything you're actively doing to try and switch the reality I try to raise
• 07:30 - 08:00 the awareness that everyone can compile it yeah especially social media marketing because that's so accessible for everyone and for me I was 24 when I realized that I could actually be a pilot if I would have known that when I was 7 I would probably have gone fry straightaway but I never thought it was an option for me okay it didn't look like it because you can see it anywhere the stereotype of a pilot is a man with a big thick massage that's not me people can see that I'm
• 08:00 - 08:30 doing it and then also they can do it well all three of you just by doing what you're doing are definitely changing the perception and changing your industry so thank you so much for hanging out with us today