Since today is International Women’s Day, when the focus is on women’s roles in all spheres and at all levels, Iberia is highlighting its commitment to gender equality of opportunity and promoting female talent in the company by means of a variety of internal and external actions.
Inside the company, the Diversity and Inclusion Plan has been launched to promote existing female talent. This project includes initiatives to overcome the often unconscious bias that can impede diversity and deprive the company of the corresponding advantages. Meanwhile, support is being given to a group of high-potential females employees in the form of career development programmes. And to ensure greater gender equality, recruitment and personnel selection policies have been adjusted to see that equal numbers of women and men appear as candidates for positions in Iberia.
In addition, in 2018 Iberia commissioned outside consultants to examine pay in jobs outside the general wages agreement in the airline in order to ensure gender equity.
More Women in Technical Positions
Women are still much in the minority as pilots, engineers, and maintenance technicians. In order to recruit more women for these roles, Iberia joined with Vueling toinvite a group of female secondary school students to have a closer look at the air business. Dubbed as #despegandojuntas [“Taking off together”], the programme included sessions on flight simulators, visits to maintenance hangars, and meetings with female pilots, engineers, and technicians.
Also to mark International Women’s Day, today’s IB6501 flight from Madrid to Santo Domingo featured 100% female cockpit and cabin crews, and was served in the airport by female flight coordinators and ground personnel
In a further move, Iberia joined the new association promoting female equality in the Spanish commercial aviation and aerospace industries called “Ellas vuelan alto” [“High-flying Women”].
With Customers
As a tribute to women, Iberia made a video of a performance of its promotional song Volando [“Flying”] sung only by women As a further tribute, the airline is also awarding double Avios loyalty points to customers of both sexes who fly with Iberia today.
Sponsoring Female Talent Outside the Company
Throughout this month of March, Iberia is sponsoring a number of event that lend visibility to women, including the “Conference of Women Who Are Changing the World”, and the “Internation Festival of Films Made by Women”. The conference, being held from 1-24 March in Segovia, Spain, is an assembly of women from all around the world who are fighting for social justice and demonstrating the power of women to impel social change. The conference includes exhibitions, film showings, theatrical performances, etc.
The “International Festival of Films Made by Women” is to be held on 25-31 March, with the screening of 40 films at a number of Madrid cinemas.
