Gender Diversity in Maritime: Positive strides made but challenges still exist

The maritime industry has historically been male-dominated. However, as times change and the world progresses, fostering a welcoming environment for women onboard can greatly benefit the industry, agreed experts during a panel discussion at the 2024 Crew Welfare Week.

The panel was moderated by Nicola Good, External Communications Director at Lloyd’s Register, and involved the following female representatives: Alison Cusack, Principal Lawyer at Cusack and Co; Sanjam Gupta, Founder of Maritime SheEO; Holli B. Packer, Associate at BLANKROME; and Sue Terpilowski, Equity Index Lead at Women in Transport.

Where we stand with gender diversity

According to the ITF 2020 report, women make up 1.2% of the world’s seafaring workforce. In 2020, this equated to 24,000 women, a number that showed an increase since 2015. While the numbers may be on the rise, women at sea face significant challenges that could impact recruitment, noted Nicola Good.

A report from the Global Maritime Forum, published in April 2023, highlighted some challenges for women onboard, such as loneliness and isolation, power abuse by officers at sea, lack of access to female facilities and products, concerns about protective personal equipment (PPE) and clothing, and insufficient designated female changing rooms, bathrooms, and laundry facilities. “A lot of the older ships simply don’t have these facilities,” Good said.

Furthermore, a survey by WISTA found that 66% of women at sea have reported experiencing harassment, despite policies being in place. Continuing the discussion about diversity, Sue Terpilowski highlighted the importance of comparing the maritime industry to other male-dominated industries and learning from their experiences.

It is not only about maritime but also about how we can learn from other transport sectors that are male-dominated and maybe use some of the things they are doing to improve the number of women at sea, 

…she said

Have we made enough progress so far?

In recent years, there have been significant strides in diversity, but challenges still exist, noted Sanjam Gupta.

“We have seen increased participation of women in seagoing as well as shore roles. There have been policy changes; many countries and organizations have implemented policies and initiatives to promote gender equality. There has been advocacy, awareness, and growing recognition of the importance of gender diversity and the business case for diversity,” she mentioned as positive outcomes but also highlighted ongoing challenges.

We have to challenge default gender stereotypes. There is a problem with work-life balance, and there is still a lack of representation of women in recruitment and retention. 

…Sanjam added.

In terms of progress, it is important that we have seen women in leadership roles in major organizations. For example, the IMPA has been championing getting more women pilots around the world, cited Alison Cusack. However, she noted, men in power positions within the maritime industry do not usually allocate enough money for wages, training, and initiatives concerning women.

Citing her experience as a former Coast Guard officer, Holli Packer observed there has been an increase in female representation at sea and in leadership roles, but inequity issues still exist.

A change in mindset coming

Nicola Good asked all experts to share their perspectives on the important traits that women need to have to work within the industry. Alison Cusack started by highlighting that passion for the industry plays a vital role. Also, sheer grit and determination to get through the many challenges are important.

“Accepting help and asking for help matters,” Cusack said, suggesting attracting more women by showing public consequences for men behaving badly.

In turn, Sanjam Gupta noted that during her experience, which spans about two decades, many things have changed. “I remember when I first started, I would be the only woman in the room at many association gatherings. Even the speaker would address the gathering as ‘gentlemen.’ I remember this particular incident where I went to a client’s office, and they kept waiting to start the meeting because they were waiting for the boss to arrive; they couldn’t believe that I was responsible for that meeting!”

Such instances are signs of a previous era; things are now much better, Gupta noted, as there are now more women in association gatherings, and in general, women are visible.

“Women today have access to mentorship programs, leadership development programs, and IMO’s leadership accelerator program with really good results. So, I think there are a lot of resources out there today. People are realizing the business case for diversity and that it is not just the right thing to do, but it is something that they need to do to make their companies prosper,” Gupta explained, making the connection between diversity and sustainability.

The change in mindset is coming slowly but steadily, 

…Gupta argued.

Sharing key findings from the Equity Index of Women in Transport, Sue Terpilowski highlighted that mentorship alone is not enough. In addition, there is a need for allyship between women and men and speaking up.

Addressing harassment issues at the workplace

“Harassment is a prevalent issue that needs to be addressed from an accountability standpoint, making sure that the policies are being implemented fleet-wide and in the whole industry,” Holli Packer stressed and pinpointed that it is not enough to spend money and allocate resources to the topic; it is vital to take real action and ownership of the problem from the top down.

“There needs to be a true industry change towards this,” she added.

Alison Cusack noted that there is a conflict as long as these policies are not being implemented, and women who are victims of harassment will face secondary trauma from the lack of support and process following. “It is really about proper people management from that other level who is managing the policies to ensure these are actually effective,” she explained.

There needs to be zero tolerance towards any sort of harassment and gender sensitization training, 

…Sanjam Gupta stated, suggesting that this type of training be extended to managers handling recruitment.

“When a company supports women, it gives out a positive message to everyone in the industry,” Sue Terpilowski commented. She also suggested that the role of DPA be empowered with the legal obligation to report any harassment incident onboard through the system.

“It is definitely down to procedures to witness a change in the system,” Nicola agreed.

source : safety4sea