Talk the Talk. Walk the Walk. Women in Shipping
By Elpi Petraki, President WISTA International
Talking the talk on diversity and inclusion is good, but walking the walk will bring better rewards, writes Elpi Petraki, President WISTA International.
There has been a lot of talk at international maritime conferences about diversity, equity and inclusion and there are more women in shipping than ever before, but the figures are still too low.
So, what is not working?
The first IMO and WISTA International Women in Maritime Survey of 2021 showed that, even though their numbers were increasing, women contributed only 2% of the seafaring workforce. Furthermore, overall, they only accounted for 29% of the workforce within the maritime industry.
A second WISTA survey will be carried out this year, which commenced in September. Where the raw statistics are concerned, I am confident that it will show progress, says Ms Petraki.
However, any progress should not result in complacency: I believe it is time for companies that have shown leadership to follow through with the next steps.
One area for focus will be the opportunities available to women for career advancement. As with much else where trends in employment are concerned, shipping is not alone on this issue. Women often find themselves overlooked in the workplace and face barriers to career progression despite having the ambition, qualifications and expertise. Whether acknowledged or not, the reasons this is so include workplace expectations – or unconscious bias – relating to age and parenthood, even in societies which consider themselves liberal.
A recent survey of more than 1,200 professional women in Switzerland
132 | ISSUE 110 | DEC 2024 | THE REPORT across diverse sectors and
management levels found that almost every second woman expressed increasing dissatisfaction with her career advancement in the age bracket 41-45. Among those surveyed, 90% wanted their careers to go further. The same research found that parenthood did not diminish ambition for career progression.
Attitudes to parenthood which frustrate those ambitions can be hard to shift, but practical adjustments can be made if company leadership is flexible and open to doing things a little differently.
In a recent example from my own company, a female chief mate had a baby and aims to go back to sea in time. However, as she preferred to return to work earlier, we found a way to use her experience in an office job that was mutually beneficial.
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