Women are advancing up the Caribbean maritime career-ladder into senior positions, although more can still be done to ensure full diversity and encourage women to take up the myriad of maritime opportunities available, according to Claudia Grant, Deputy Director General of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ).
As the global shipping community gears up to celebrate the inaugural International Day for Women in Maritime on May 18, Claudia Grant said the industry is changing for the better and urged more companies to put in place gender integration policies to smooth the path for future generations.
Mrs Grant said:
The maritime industry has changed for the better and I am living my hope. I am seeing young, vibrant, dynamic, and competent women working in the industry and doing well. There are so many women all over the Caribbean in top maritime leadership positions
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Mrs Grant also said that the key to ensure future female success stories is to put in place policies that enable future generations to succeed without having to undergo the struggles their peers have been through.
We are now seeing far more women in far more roles, not just in administration. There are women throughout all aspects of the maritime world including at sea, in maritime law, in technical and commercial professions, at ports, in the environmental sector, in freight-forwarding
Furthermore, Mrs Grant finds that many men in maritime are keen to learn how to support women in the maritime industry and to find out more about how they can help. The International Day for Women in Maritime, organised by the IMO, is an important steppingstone in raising the profile of women in maritime and to highlight the skills and abilities they can bring to the workplace.
I think education and training are key, as is having the support and guidance of positive role models and mentors
she stated, advising young women entering the maritime industry to obtain the qualifications they need for their desired roles and then just “work and work.”
