Gender imbalance
It is disappointing that, as a society, we feel the need to highlight each time a woman successfully attains and performs in a traditionally male role, disappointing that women have not already completed these firsts many times over and disappointing that these roles were male dominated and previously thought to be out of the reach of women at all. The myths and legends of old always portrayed women to be bad luck at sea. Several studies over the years have disputed these myths and these examples are also both hopeful and inspirational – to show that women are still making progress and can have hugely successful careers at sea.
Men, as a gender, are not the enemy to the female seafarer. It is not an us-against-them situation. The fact I’m using the terminology ‘female seafarer’ reiterates the premise that all seafarers are predominantly male, unlike that of nursing where the opposite is true. ‘Nurse’ leads to an assumption of female and then, for clarity, ‘male nurse’ becomes a title but rarely is ‘female nurse’ used. The emphasis needs to be on teamwork and crew unity.
This career is not for everyone. One could argue that, if you want the
career badly enough, you’ll push through the barriers and prove yourself capable. I don’t dispute this mindset and approach but, for the sake of team cohesion, safety and undisputed entitlement of human rights for all, gender division really should be eradicated. Everyone has a part to play in reducing the impact of the gender divide and ensuring human rights at sea are upheld.
Anyone reading this can make a significant difference. Remember, every female at sea is someone’s daughter. If it was your son or daughter, brother or sister at sea, wouldn’t you want them to be part of the crew, to feel safe and supported?
So why not make a conscious effort to show more compassion, patience and kindness to your crew and colleagues? Your actions on social media can also play a huge part. Captain Kate McCue recently posted a video after being trolled, “How can you be a Captain. Your only a woman [sic]”. The resulting grammar clarification went viral and is still featured on the pages of Newsbreak, The Independent, Fox News5 and USA Today with millions of views and supporting comments.
Imagine the improvements we could make globally if we used that same
power to uphold the basic human rights of our fellow seafarers – something they should already be entitled to.
Conclusion
I’m constantly amazed and inspired when I hear the stories of my fellow seafarers who have rallied against their cultural expectations and followed their dreams in the face of such adversity and bias. Sharing my personal story with you all makes me aware of the privileged experience at sea I’ve had so far. Originating and training in the UK, I had no fixed cultural barriers to overcome. I had no firsts to achieve – all the companies I (and my mentees and connections) sailed with have been MLC2006 compliant, pay a fair wage and provide adequate food, water and accommodation. They all also had female cadets before, as well as officers so, imagine our surprise when we are faced with so much opposition and continue to do so in 2021.
This article appears courtesy of Human Rights at Sea and is reproduced here in an abbreviated form. The full length version can be found at
http://bit.ly/3b3Fd9a.
The Report • June 2021 • Issue 96 | 63
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