Celebrated every year on May 18th, the International Day of Women in Maritime is an important day to remind to the entire industry that only by promoting gender equality, diversity, and inclusivity, industry stakeholders will ensure that the maritime sector remains inclusive, equitable, fosters innovation and creates opportunities for all.
This year, IMO adopted the theme Mobilizing networks for gender equality and invited women in maritime and everyone in the maritime industry to celebrate the day on social media using the hashtag #WomenInMaritimeDay.
Beyond celebrating
Don’t over include us, just treat us like everyone else. With kindness and decency
…were the words of a female seafarer to Trine Lundgaard Hoffmann, Diversity & Inclusion Manager at Maersk.
This quotation is significant because it emphasizes that inclusion is what women really need. During a BIMCO’s 15+15 webinar webinar, Hoffmann clarified that simply being aware of the issues women experience does not provide a solution. Active listening is the first step in solving their problems.
She also asserted that establishing a psychologically safe space where everyone may express their opinions without worrying about facing prejudice or losing their jobs is a crucial action that stakeholders should take.
Open, impartial communication between the office and the sea is the best course of action. Since involving women is not a straightforward procedure, it is essential to take small steps and humbly evaluate each outcome.
To achieve a diverse industry, we need an inclusive environment
… said Trine Lundgaard Hoffmann
Key challenges of women in maritime
#1 This is a men’s profession
According to IMO-WISTA (Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association) research, women account for only 29% of the overall workforce in the general industry and 20% of the workforce of national maritime authorities in Member States.
Women seafarers make up just 2% of the crewing workforce and are predominately found in the cruise sector, while in ship-owning companies, they made up 34% of the workforce.
These numbers make sense when one considers that most women are not even presented with the chance to be trained and even if they are, they face discrimination from the companies based on their gender.
A Mission to Seafarers report showed that in some countries, women may find it difficult to enroll on nautical courses and where they do enroll, women have reported that they encounter training staff who are averse to their presence.
According to a Global Maritime Forum paper, women are being perceived as less competent than male coworkers and often have to to outperform male peers to be respected or promoted.
In addition, women suffer employment challenges. Their service contracts at sea are excessively long, and there are no family planning options such as maternity leave or sea-shore rotation programs, forcing many women to choose between a career at sea and beginning a family. Finally, many organizations are simply unwilling to hire female seafarers.
#2 Harassment and Isolation
According to another research done by Mission to Seafarers on women seafarers’ concerns about their personal safety, their feelings of fear and isolation are amongst their major concerns.
A survey conducted by WISTA International, Anglo Eastern, ISWAN and ICS revealed that:
- 60% of women reported encountering gender-based discrimination onboard.
- 66% of the respondents concur that their male employees had turned to harassing and intimidating female co-workers.
- 25% reported that in the shipping sector, physical and sexual harassment is common, occurring on board and involving intrusions on their privacy.
#3 Lack of attendance to their needs
Women have specific sanitary needs due to menstruation. However, most companies do not supply sanitary products for women or a way to properly dispose them. In addition, safety equipment is designed for men who usually posses a different physique and that poses a significant safety threat on women.
Industry’s action: Encouraging initiatives and solutions
Luckily, industry stakeholders do not turn a blind eye to diversity. Many companies and organizations have launched initiatives for female workers in the industry.
Some initiatives include:
- A few days ago, IMO held an event where 18 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries were invited to send two women each to the Arab Women in Maritime-Biofouling Management Workshop (AWIM-BMW) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
- IMO and WISTA’s bureau to increase the number of women speakers in events.
- Maritime UK to deliver a Maritime Roadshow for Girls throughout 2023.
- Women in Maritime of West and Central Africa (WIMOWCA), a group set up with the support of IMO to champion the place of women in the maritime sector.
- Ayse Asli Basak, one of the world’s three-port captains, developed an application to allow women to report harassment and any violence they experience on board.
- Svitzer launched training program for women seafarers in Egypt.
- Thome Group, together with Hafnia, Anglo American, RightShip, Rio Tinto, and Wilhelmsen joined forces to launch Maritime Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Innovation Lab
- Synergy group provided tailor-made Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to female seafarers.
Taking the lead
The participation of more women in leadership roles is a major field of the global fight to equality. The following recent examples showcase that women are now getting the chance to take leadership positions in industry’s activities:
- There are three females amongst seven candidates for IMO’s upcoming Secretery-General elections: Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry (Dominica), Nancy Karigithu (Kenya) and Minna Kivimäki (Finland).
- In November 2022, Rear Admiral Joanna M. Nunan became the first female superintendent at U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
- Last December, Ann Fenech became the first female President in the Comité Maritime International (CMI) in its 125 year history.
- Furthermore, some companies welcomed their first female captains including Captain Lee Eun Ran (Wilhelmsen) and Samaro Bannister-Schneider (Cal Maritime).
Key considerations to move forward
In conclusion, as the world moves forward, there can be no one left behind. Women in the maritime industry ought to be faced with respect. Appropriate measures for their wellbeing should be researched and implemented.
Women should be presented with equal training and recruitment opportunities in accordance with their nature and needs. No space should be left for discrimination or harassment. Furthermore, women should be provided with means to report any misconduct without fearing the consequences.
In addition, there needs to be an improved regulatory landscape that leaves no room for discrimination or unsafe working practices. As suggested by ETF and ECSA, a minimum percentage of women in maritime management positions could be beneficial. Safety measures and equipment should be designed to fit female workers as well.
Finally, the wellbeing and welfare of any seafarer is of the utmost importance, including women. Isolation, especially onboard, is a plague that causes serious harm to one’s mental health. The industry should embrace its female workforce and make them feel included.
We have to continue fighting for women’s empowerment at all levels and in every field
-Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, President of the World Maritime University (WMU)
