THIS is a story that is rarely spoken of, especially in Malaysia. Being a female flight attendant does have its repercussions. For the most part, many would see it as a glamorous job as you get to travel all over the world while getting paid. Unfortunately, most of them do not feel this way.There aren’t that many studies done in Malaysia regarding this issue. However, a study examined 8,700 flight attendants from North America and 1,887 from the UK. Findings reveal that 26% of North American attendants and 11% of UK flight attendants reported harassment on the job.To top it all off, flight attendants would typically deal with unruly passengers as well. Surely, having problems internally would not be helping the situation for them at all.
Moreover, this topic is rather a sensitive one for Malaysians in general, regardless of the job of the individual. For the most part, most employees are afraid to speak out due to the power distance an employer or supervisor has over their employees.
A flight attendant shared her dismay at how she was treated and harassed by male crew members on the flight. She stated that if she were to speak out or file a complaint, she would be seen as unreliable by her peers. Apparently, this is a common thing, especially for newer crew members.For the most part, social media commentators appear to lend support to the flight attendant. They state that society needs to respect women more and not think of them with lust.
(Why isn’t there anyone that wants to teach men to not do inappropriate gestures? Everything is being blamed on women’s clothes when in reality, it has no connections with harassment as women who are fully covered may still suffer from it. Teach men to respect women and do not use the “lust card” to protect your own mistakes.)
[I hope that these stewardesses are strong and patient. Sometimes, instead of money (jobs), they might give in. It is understandable when these juniors may be taken advantage of by a senior. It just depends on how the junior is going to react to the situation.]
(Sorry, I’ve been in the aviation industry for almost 15 years, the airline’s policy has never changed. Instructing cabin crews to wear eye-popping clothes to attract passengers, that’s a joke. People get on the airplane to travel not because they want to look at flight attendants.) – Nov 12, 2023
Main photo credit: Koreaboo
