Gender and Work within the Maritime Sector

Momoko Kitada

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Gender Diversity and Inequality Employment, Labor, and Gender Studies Labour Market and Migration

Abstract

Awareness of gender perspectives in the maritime sector has been growing in recent years. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted the World Maritime Day 2019 theme of ‘empowering women in the maritime community’, inspiring maritime stakeholders to respond to this global initiative. The maritime sector has been traditionally characterised as male-dominated and women represented only 1.28 per cent of the total seafaring population in 2021. The majority of women seafarers work in catering and hotel sections on cruise ships and ferries, where women are stereotypically considered to be more suited than working in technical and operational sections on board ships. Despite the political and legal will to promote women in the maritime sector, this figure has not changed over the last 30 years. This chapter provides an overview of gender ratios in various maritime jobs which are based at sea, in ports, and on shore. The chapter also offers an account of how various barriers impede the attraction, recruitment and retention, and leadership of women in the maritime sector. Women working in the maritime sector may face sexual harassment and discrimination at training as well as in the workplace. Some shipping companies are hesitant to employ women as they perceive women as risk factors in a man’s world. In addition to cultural and legal barriers, there are structural barriers that de-value women as human capital through unequal investment and training opportunities. The chapter discusses the future of the maritime sector, in relation to automation, smart and green shipping, digitalisation and energy efficiency, and the challenges and opportunities this presents for women. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the sector and its workers. In order to build a transformative and resilient maritime industry, gender equality is the key to driving success in this transition and it is necessary to mainstream gender in every step of designing and implementing new processes for the future maritime sector.

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References

2020Sexual harassment and women seafarers: The role of laws and policies to ensure occupational safety & health 2004‘Get yourself a proper job girlie!’: recruitment, retention and women seafarers* [1]2019Impact of automation technology on gender parity in maritime industry 2013Code of behaviour at sea: women seafarers’ shipboard identity management 2020Women Seafarers: An Analysis of Barriers to Their Employment 2019Progress or regress on gender equality: The case study of selected transport STEM careers and their vocational education and training in Japan 2020Female figures in maritime education and training institutions between 2009 and 2018: analysing possible impacts of gender policies 2017Lost in success: women’s maritime careers in Eastern and Southern Africa

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