Gender Diversity in UAV (Drone) Industry

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 differences in gender 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 difference in drone industry employment between genders among 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.