New easyJet recruitment campaign tackles job stereotypes

A new recruitment campaign by easyJet is aiming to tackle job stereotypes and inspire more young people to consider a career in aviation, including encouraging more girls to become pilots.

The airline has released a recruitment film based on scenes from the ’80s blockbuster film Top Gun, in which the lead pilot roles were played by an all-male cast.

EasyJet’s film sees roles reversed, with girls playing the lead roles.

The launch of the campaign follows new research by the budget carrier which suggested that people believe gender stereotypes are dominating Hollywood films.

A survey of 3,000 parents and their children showed that four in five said Hollywood perpetuates gender stereotypes when it comes to job roles for men and women.

Most of the parents said there are misconceptions that being a pilot is a job for men.

With around 6% of pilots worldwide being women, easyJet has been trying to tackle the gender imbalance for a number of years and has doubled the number of female pilots in its ranks since 2015.

Chief executive Johan Lundgren said: “Top Gun is one of the most famous aviation films of all time, so we wanted to create our own rendition of the movie that was both entertaining and inspiring to a younger audience, to show young people that they don’t have to be limited by outdated stereotypes of jobs in the industry.

“EasyJet has long championed greater diversity across our business and the industry and, while we have made important progress in areas like our pilot community, there is still work to do.”