Gender discrimination among female seafarers has been brought into sharp relief by the results of a recent survey on women seafarers’ health and welfare, which found that 18% of the 595 respondents said they had been sexually harassed while on board.
“When it comes to seafaring, it seems women are often treated as the underdogs,” said Sophia Onken, partner and clinical psychologist at Mental Health Support Solutions (MHSS).
“The study shows the ongoing belief that female seafarers are inferior to their male counterparts,” she said. “While most respondents (63%) believed that females should be given the opportunity to work at sea, only 19.6% agreed that women could be as competent as men. This fuels the belief that women aren’t fit for the job, discouraging them from entering or staying in the maritime industry.”
She added that the lack of women in the maritime industry – accounting for just 2% of the workforce – was a major barrier for females at sea.
A separate study on women working at sea for Greek-owned shipping companies found that men saw their female counterparts as equals when it came to career success. However, only a minority of men felt that women could perform as well as male crew members. The ‘Employment of women at sea’ report also revealed that most men were unwilling to accept a woman as their superior in the ship’s hierarchy or as port captains ashore.
MHSS provides professional mental health support and guidance across the maritime sector.
