In light of women in shipping and diversity, World Pulse shares stories from women and their experiences; Seka, a member of World Pulse, provided her own thoughts on traditional gender roles when it comes to the important task of building peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In a time when the UK Shipping Minister commented that the shipping industry lacks the necessary diversity, Seka highlighted that men should cooperate with women in maintaining security and keep the peace.
Seka highlighted that
It is our duty to make women understand that even though we suffer from being subjected to prejudice, we must, like men, be concerned with the security issues all around us.
Thus, women should be included in any security process. We cannot ignore that women are real agents of change in society.
Moreover, Seka notes that women should be aware of the chasm into which customs and traditions have placed them and find their roles to live next to men.
Generally, 2019 has been proclaimed, by the International Maritime Organization to be the year of “Empowering women in the maritime”.
In light of women in shipping, SAFETY4SEA presents five ways to invest in women:
- Adopt a new mindset;
- Help female role-models develop;
- Learn from other countries, industries, companies;
- Train your women around;
- Spread meaningful data on digital media.
In addition, women in leadership positions seems to be lacking, yet many are the steps being taken, aiming to see women in powerful positions. Specifically, in the shipping industry, which is considered as a male-dominated sector, women would be rarely seen in senior leadership positions before; however, discussions over a more sustainable future have brought a sea of change in the shipping industry in this important topic and now we witness women rising up the ranks!
