India's track record as far as empowering women is concerned is hardly a straightforward one. The legal system is deeply patriarchal even as women are able to hold positions of political and corporate importance, commanding even more respect than their male counterparts on occasion. The fact of the matter is that every now and then, a few facts and stories challenge the patriarchal limitations we find ourselves bound within with the latest one being provided by the India's female pilots. And as long as we have that, we have hope. wss2_60427g
International Society of Women Airline Pilots
"This is definitely one trend which flies in the face of global opinion of India being a regressive place for women,"
"Flying schools are churning out a higher number of women pilots every year,"
"The women pilots credit India's strong family support system for the increase in the enrollment for aviation. Women who go on overseas flights have to spend days away from home. In India, women have their mothers or mothers-in-law to take care of the kids and that ensures they can go on long flights too,"
"I was in Hisar, Haryana, and there were no women's hostels. I had to share with men. In my later years I often slept with a knife under my pillow to be safe,"
As women continue to pursue their dreams of aviation and flying, one can only hope that the ground situation for their terrestrial contemporaries improves as well.