Lesley Abdela I'm reading 'Glamour in the Skies' - the Golden Age of the Air Stewardess' by Libbie Escolme -Schmidt. I find this history of air stewardesses an interesting and original piece of research on women's rights and social history. Right up to the introduction of the 1975 Sex Discrimination Act, British female cabin crew were forced to retire after 10 years service or reaching the age of 35 (whichever came first !)