Cyprus’ Council of Ministers has established an annual gender equality in Cyprus’ shipping award, to recognize industry executives contributing to gender equality in the shipping sector.
The award aims to highlight women’s vital role, challenge male dominance perceptions, and endorse policies fostering equal rights. Today, women represent only 1.2% percent of the global seafarer workforce as per the BIMCO/ICS 2021 Seafarer Workforce Report. This represents a positive trend in gender balance, with the report estimating 24,059 women serving as seafarers, which is a 45.8% increase compared with the 2015 report.
Furthermore, 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.
Cyprus Ministry of Shipping holds the view that creating the equality award award will serve as a crucial instrument in realizing the mentioned objectives, which completely align with the principles promoted by the International Maritime Organization and the Gender Equality Commissioner’s Office. The Ministry actively collaborates with these organizations to implement its goals effectively.
