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Meet Air Marshal Susan Gray
Air Marshal Susan Gray is the most senior woman military officer in British history and is passionate about encouraging girls to explore STEM. She tells us why having a wide variety of role models can give girls greater confidence
‘If you don’t know about something, you can’t dream of doing it,’ states Air Marshal Susan Gray, Director-General of the Defence Safety Authority. When she’s not briefing the Secretary of State for Defence on safety in the armed forces, she spends time travelling the country encouraging girls to explore STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) through Royal Air Force (RAF) competitions and showcases.
‘People still see engineers as car mechanics – nothing wrong with that,’ she says. ‘But engineering ranges from cyber security and aircraft maintenance through to leadership and project management. It’s not all about getting dirty.’
It was Air Marshal Gray’s mother who started Susan on her engineering journey. ‘My mum was always doing DIY, not because my dad couldn’t do it, but because he was away working. She was very practical and if things needed to be fixed, she’d fix them,’ she says. ‘I was always taking things apart and trying to put them together again and doing things outdoors. I was never going to do a nine-to-five office job.’
Doing STEM subjects through school meant that Susan was already used to being in a male-dominated environment, which the air force was at that time. She joined the RAF under a scheme that offered sponsorship through her degree. She started out as a junior engineering officer working on helicopters and transport aircraft before moving on to jets.
‘I’m part of the team. When you’re one of the team it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or woman. You just get on with it.’
‘The RAF was brilliant for equal opportunities. All the paperwork states just your rank and surname, so in theory, no one knows whether you’re a man or a woman. I didn’t experience discrimination in my career progression.’
As a result, 34 years later, she’s now a role model for young women as she is the first woman three-star in the UK military, which is a senior rank. But she’d be quick to say that her work is, and has always been, about collaboration.
‘I’m part of the team. When you’re one of the team it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or woman. You just get on with it.’
From Grand Cayman to Belize, Susan has seen a lot of the world and had the chance to challenge herself with different roles in the service. A commitment to serve is the thread that holds it all together. ‘It’s about being part of the community and serving your nation. We bring together people who want to give back.’
Her advice for girls and young women is to try everything and do so with confidence. ‘Don’t turn any opportunity down, because you never know what might spark your interest. All young women can absolutely do anything they want. All they need is confidence and an opportunity.’
Our Girls’ Attitudes Survey (click here to read this feature) last year found that nearly half of girls want to see more women in science and technology. The RAF and Girlguiding have worked together to create a new topic of unit meeting activities within the Skills For My Future theme – Magnificent machines.
Girls explore how planes fly, decipher codes, and discover how radar and rollercoasters work – there are lots of activities to help girls realise STEM can be for them, not just for boys. You can find some of these activities in the new unit meeting activities pack six, which is now available in the Girlguiding shop (click here to read this feature). More activities for all sections will be coming out in packs seven and eight in 2020.
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