Achieving a diverse workforce and providing equal, inclusive opportunities has been a common goal amongst many stakeholders in the past few years. But are we getting there?
Women’s economic empowerment means ensuring women can equally participate in and benefit from decent work and social protection; access markets and have control over resources, their own time, lives, and bodies; and increased voice, agency, and meaningful participation in economic decision-making.
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 5 focuses on achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls, recognizing it as a fundamental human right and a prerequisite for realizing all goals in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
Women in leadership
The 2022 IMO-WISTA Women in Maritime survey shed light on the underrepresentation of women in the maritime industry. The findings revealed that women constitute merely 2% of the crewing workforce, with a predominant presence in the cruise sector.
Ship-owning companies, however, demonstrate a more encouraging figure, as women make up 34% of the workforce. The survey further detailed the distribution of women in various roles, showing that 39% hold mid-management positions, 28% are in technical core roles, and 48% work in administrative and support roles.
Notably, within the C-level positions, among the 500 surveyed companies, 125 had female CEOs, 127 had female chief HR officers, and 109 had female chief financial officers.
More recently, the 2023 Annual Review of the Diversity Study Group (DSG) found the following:
- The overall gender split was 52.2% male and 45% female, more diverse compared to 2022’s 56.8% male and 41.8% female
- Female representation in the lowest four of six levels of seniority has now passed the important 30% mark, and this year’s results show an improved gender balance in six of seven categories of job function.
- Female representation remains poor at the leadership level and the proportion of women in technical roles has actually declined
While these statistics highlight the progress in promoting gender diversity in maritime leadership, there is still considerable room for improvement to achieve a more balanced representation across industry.
The maritime pay gap
In 2023, UK organisations with a headcount of over 250 were required to provide a snapshot of their gender pay gap. Spinnaker’s Maritime HR Association showed that the gender pay gap in the maritime industry is improving, despite being a whopping 39.95%. For example, the size of the maritime gender pay gap in the UK in 2020 was 43%.
Unfortunately, the pay gap extends far beyond the maritime industry, according to data from the World Economic Forum, across the 146 countries covered in the 2023 Global Gender Gap Report, the economic participation and opportunity gap closed by only 60.1%, even receding in the past year.
While women have (re-)entered the labour force at higher rates than men globally, leading to a small recovery in gender parity in the labour-force participation rate since 2022, gaps remain wide overall and are apparent in several specific dimensions.
For instance, in the EU, a study by Finansvalp found that Finland is the best country for gender equality in the workplace. Despite a high volume of women taking on senior positions in the country, the gender pay gap was still an issue in Finland.
How do we get there?
Demonstrating prominent leadership is crucial in guiding the direction and ensuring accountability for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives within an organization.
In an exclusive interview with SAFETY4SEA, Claudia Paschkewitz, CSM Group Director of Diversity and Inclusion expressed the idea that we should begin with the next generation by breaking down stereotypical thinking and showing our young and talented that there are excellent career opportunities to be had in this changing industry.
10 Key steps to achieve inclusion
In the recently published InterManager’s General Principles of Conduct and Action, InterManager presents the following key actions to foster the inclusion and promotion of women in maritime:
- Management system promoting Diversity, Inclusion, and Equal Opportunities with compliance monitoring.
- Mandatory cultural awareness, diversity, and inclusion training for Shore and Seagoing personnel.
- Inclusion of “Declaration of employees/seafarers’ rights” in employment contracts.
- Code of Conduct emphasizing Diversity, Inclusion, and Equal Opportunities in compliance with MLC and legislation.
- Zero tolerance for discrimination enforced through internal audits, surveys, whistleblowing, and disciplinary actions.
- Recruitment, promotion, and career development based on merit, irrespective of protected characteristics.
- Career support provided through individualized training for technical and behavioral competencies.
- Practices promoting visible leadership, teamwork, respect, and fair treatment across all personnel levels.
- Active encouragement and guidelines for recruitment and promotion of female seafarers.
- Guarantee of equal pay for equal work value through verification of crewing, human resources, and accounting records.
Looking forward
While strides have been made, it is crucial to acknowledge the existing challenges. Leadership commitment, cultural awareness, and robust diversity and inclusion initiatives are essential components for sustained progress.
As we navigate towards a more equitable future, we pave the way for a maritime industry that thrives on the diverse talents and contributions of all, ultimately steering us closer to genuine gender equity.
