…gay? Well, perhaps we can’t jump to that conclusion. Maybe effeminate is a better word. Let’s be conservative and assume that 10% of the general population is homosexual (a number that I would dispute, but that’s for a different thread). Is it my imagination, or does there seem to be a disproportionately high percentage of effeminate male flight attendants? If so, why?
I’ve never seen this. . .
I fly on a minimum once every two months on the average, and all of the male flight attendants seem pretty on-the-level. Maybe it’s the airline you’re flying?
Tripler
Who cares anyway? They all charge $4 for a single can of beer. :mad:
I think it’s the former. You might just be making a subconscious connection with a stereotype. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if flight attendants are required to smile at all times. That, too, might be a factor in creating an impression of femininity.
I don’t get the sense that they’re gay as much as they’re in a service industry where manners and care are paramount. Can you be very specific in what constitutes effeminate? I couldn’t imagine an airline attendant tossing magazines to people and yelling “si’down” as being a selling point.
Just to be clear, I don’t care who is gay and who isn’t. I was just curious why.
yeah, and most plumbers and carpenters I meet are straight…whats UP with that???
Well, sure, plumbers and carpenters are straight, but electricans…
[MontyPython]…“Now, of course, if interior design is what you want, you’re talking about the 101st Lancashire Fussiliers…”[/MP]
Assuming (which is not necessarily correct) the OP is valid, the possibility remains that gay men might do it because its a job that suits those with fewer family commitments better. You see the world, but the cost would be time away from possible kiddies which might be a not-insignificant burden for a decent segment of the straight male population past their mid-twenties. After all, thats why the travel industry is really starting to niche market towards the gay population: the SINK/DINK factor.
(SINK = Single Income No Kids/DINK = Double Income No Kids)
Because gay travelers have to have somewhat realistic mile-high fantasy possibilities, too?
If I may interupt this wonderful, serious, well respected debate for a moment, what exactly are the perks of being a flight attemdant?
What is the, ahem, financial renumeration like?
What are the schedules like?
Do you always stay in a hotel or do they work out your schedule that you return to a certain city?
What are the flight benefits like?
What are the other perks?
How long does training take?
Is it hard?
Is it fun?
Do they look kindly upon college kids doing it for a summer, or is it really more of a long term profession?
Thanks,
Threemae
FTR: Not gay. There, now I’ve contributed something to the thread.
My guess is that it’s a mental thing. First, you’ce got a guy in a subservient role. Plus he has to act extremely polite at all times. And he has to wear the dorky flight attendant uniform, and a lot of airlines have just masculinized the old stweardess outfits. All told, it puts the guy into a stereotypical position that may have no correlation with his real-world personality.
Then again, you’re talking about a position for mature guys who have to travel all the time, which isn’t conducive to a married family lifestyle. That could shift the statistics on representation a smidgen. But I’d still bet on the mental aspect of it.
…
Uhm… are you saying that the OP perceives these men as being gay because of these factors or that the gay percentage in the field is high because of these factors? If the latter, allow me to laugh right now.
I think Priam’s answer is getting there. First, I would agree that a disproportionately high number of male flight attendants are gay. I’ve encountered a few on planes, and known a few, and, though I haven’t flown very much, it’s certainly disproportionate.
The basic reason has to do with the travel. Straight men, even in their mid-20s, are fairly likely to be married, so being away from home for prolonged periods of time is difficult for them and their spouse, if not their children. Even more, travelling around the world isn’t as appealing because there’s not much to do when they’re in another city – they can always find a bar or something, maybe get drunk, and maybe try to meet someone (if they aren’t already in a relationship, or so it would be hoped).
Gay men, on the other hand, aren’t as likely to have social obligations to remain in the same place as much as straight men might. Further, there’s a lot more of a reason to travel. There are gay districts in most large cities in the world, and being a flight attendant would allow a person to go to many of them. Also, the gay culture is rather uniform worldwide, so overseas travelers aren’t likely to face the cultural disadvantages a heterosexual traveler might encounter. For some, it might even be better to start fresh in a new city every few weeks rather than continually visit the same place. In gay culture it’s not always a good thing to go somewhere where everybody knows your name and who you’ve slept with.
No, I mean people think that they’re gay because many parts of their job aren’t especially macho.
And while I’m at it, I forgot to add that part of the job is cleaning up, which tends to throw stereotype switches. Plus I’m sure airlines try to get thin people to save fuel. And I imagine the standards are pretty strict for grooming. So what we’ve got is a bunch of thin, well trimmed, overly neat guys going around being sickeningly nice at all times. That’s pretty far into stereotype land. But it’s part of the job description, so even aside from the normal sillyness of stereotypes, it’s silly to try and equate the job description with someone’s personality.
Me, I don’t get it. Most of the male flight attendants seem more like frat guys to me. Then again, I don’t like frat guys, and flight attendants are always cutting me off at five drinks and trying to take my chainsaw away. So it’s probably just projection.
I can anecdotally confirm the OP’s belief that many male flight attendants are gay. My first student when I was flight instructing was a flight attendant herself with AA. Her claim is that of the male FA’s with whom she had worked, about 80% were gay. (Not suspected to be, but actually).
I don’t know what her sample size was, but this was from 5 years on the job.
I maintain that the ratio is certainly (anecdotal as well here) out of whack with the average population and for some of the similar reasons seen in other stereotypically “gay” fields (interior decorating, theater, etc.)
For many years, and even today, many of those fields were seen as jobs for women. They were assigned the value “effeminate”. Thus, you have a two-fold effect of pushing away those men who most fear being assigned that label and being pre-inclined to view any men in those fields as more effeminate than they probably already are. From that base, one creates a self-perpetuating safe haven for those who are in fact gay or perceived as gay due to mannerisms where they can be safe in numerical majority. So to my mind its a complex interaction of multiple factors which create these stereotypical safe niches including airplane steward.
Also for the steward, there are factors mentioned above in both my previous post and at least one other poster.
It is my understanding that the pay really sucks, which could explain the job’s appeal to gay guys. (rimshot)
Well, if you hand out with females all the time some of their feminine traits are bound to rub off on you; gay or not.
oh and this quote from threemae
I had to bite a hole in my bottom lip from making juvenile joke…
Yes I know. I need to grow up.
If that were true, then there are going to be lots of fields for gay men to go into, since most people in college are women, females now even outnumber the number of men who apply to medical school. The entire medical field will soon be considered effeminate.
In the future(with no end in sight given that comparatively few men go to college now), most/any carreers that require college or post college study will be considered “female”, and assigned as “effeminite”.
Also, if it was true, then is it also true that most female attendents are lesbian? What kinds of jobs would lesbians be attracted to/predominate in ?
Finally, if gay men like, admire, and are attracted to the masculine/male, why would they want anything to do with femininity? Most gay men that I have heard of are macho, masculine(e.g. Rock Hudson) not feminine.
For the same reason a lot of male theatre actors are gay, a lot of male hairdressers are gay, and a lot of male fashion designers are gay.
I don’t know what that reason is, but it seems to be fairly consistent.