Gender Diversity in the UAV (Drone) Industry

Authors

  • Joanne Kuzma University of Worcester
  • Kate Dobson University of Worcester

Keywords:

Gender roles, male-dominated occupations, Drones, UAVs, Women in STEM

Abstract

In the past decade, progress has been made with increasing the number of women employed in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. However, their numbers remain far below their male colleagues. The purpose of this study is to analyse the gender differences in employment in the new STEM area of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones). We address the following research questions: (1) Do women have lower levels of employment within various job functions in the drone industry compared to their male colleagues? (2) Is there a gender difference in drone industry employment between various countries? Statistical analysis of personnel information found on the websites of 112 drone services firms in seven countries found that women were under-represented in the drone industry. They were also less likely to hold technical or managerial roles such as drone pilots or technical managers among all countries surveyed. The practical and theoretical implications of gender exclusion were reviewed.&

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Author Biographies

  • Joanne Kuzma, University of Worcester
    Director of Programmes, Worcester Business School
  • Kate Dobson, University of Worcester
    Lecturer Consultant, Worcester Business School
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Published

11-02-2019

Issue

Section

Research and theoretical papers

How to Cite

Gender Diversity in the UAV (Drone) Industry. (2019). International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 10(3), 366-377. https://genderandset.open.ac.uk/index.php/genderandset/article/view/564