Women in Maritime Day: Survey Highlights Progress, But Barriers Remain

 

For this year's International Women in Maritime Day, the IMO released the results of a new global survey conducted together with WISTA International. The survey found that women account for an estimated 19 percent of all employees in the maritime sector worldwide, with high variability among subsectors. Women dominate the field in public relations, marketing, advertising, crewing and recruitment roles, but still account for just one percent of the world's active seafaring workforce - reflecting both the opportunities and the longstanding challenges for women in maritime. 

"Women remain a small fraction of the seagoing workforce, highlighting the urgent need for continued commitment and
action. We must redouble our efforts to foster a truly diverse and inclusive maritime industry — one where talent is recognized and nurtured, regardless of gender, to usher us into a new digital and decarbonized maritime era," said IMO Secretary-General Antonio Dominguez in a statement. "At IMO, we will continue to push forward, through our flagship Women in Maritime program, now in its fourth decade, and by mainstreaming gender in all projects and capacity development activities."

The survey found that in the private sector, women account for 16 percent of the total shoreside and seafaring workforce. This is a remarkable drop from the level reported in the inaugural survey in 2021 - 29 percent - and likely reflects a change in the composition of the companies that responded. The survey was conducted online and was voluntary, and most of the organizations and firms that participated this year were new additions, making comparison between the two surveys difficult. 

Nonetheless, the overall trend remains consistent: women can be found in shoreside roles - from entry-level to board level - but they face continued barriers to employment at sea. Out of the 179 vessel operators that participated in the survey, only 85 said that they actively employ women on their ships. One company was up-front about its approach: "We do not hire women in offshore support vessels," the firm wrote in a free-response section. 

A recent survey of maritime professionals by the Global Maritime Forum found that 29 percent of women identified gender discrimination as a major barrier in their careers. However, the WISTA/IMO survey found that only 13 percent of respondents attempt to address discrimination through the use of bias training, and the majority of respondents do not have a gender equality policy. 

"The data indicates the continuing presence of barriers such as gender stereotyping, workplace safety concerns, a lack of family friendly policies and the ongoing gender pay gap. We all have a duty to make the industry more accessible and inclusive, not just for future generations but for today's workforce," said WISTA International President Elpi Petraki in a statement. "It is my hope that the 2024 Women in Maritime Survey results guide the actions we must take to bring about cultural change, as we still have a long way to go in our mission to improve gender diversity and break the gender bias."

Petraki and Dominguez discussed the results in a symposium held Saturday at IMO headquarters, along with panel discussions on specific issues and individual perspectives (below).