When I got my first job flying freight in the mid-1970s, every single pilot I met was a white male. I didn't really think anything about it—it was the way of the world. There were no women flying for the airlines or the military and the WASPs of World War II were not even a memory—no one spoke of them. Chief pilots made it clear over beers after work that they didn't hire women or minorities (sadly, I still hear that from chief pilots, although from far fewer).
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/recent-updates/business-military/whirly-girls-silly-name-serious-aviators