R
etaining women in the yachting industry is a problem which cannot be denied; stewardesses are perceived to have a shelf life, this job is not a long term career choice for
the majority as progress is limited, and many women feel the interior crew are not taken as seriously in their roles compared to, say, deck officers.
When it comes to onboard training, the priority will still often lean towards the deck and engine departments, as pointed out by Chief Stew Chloe, “I’ve asked a captain if he could assist with any interior courses - time wise or contribute pay wise. We had very high profile clients coming back on charter year after year and after a trip to the Chèvre d’Or it made no sense as to why the interior didn’t have more training.
You expect it in a Michelin restaurant so why not a yacht? He said to me, “Well it’s not health and it’s not safety, so no I didn’t feel valued as an interior member after that and it helped make my decision to move on and undertake my courses.” Without
5 men and 5 women - all qualified and experienced equally, and asked them to captain a vessel, what would happen?”
They would each perform the task in their own unique way using their own unique skill set and strengths regardless of their gender. Every person has their own interpretation, reactions, past experiences etc. Gender is as much about a performance indicator as hair colour in my eyes.” And she has a point! Why should gender matter, if the job is done well? And why do men feel threatened by a woman who can do the same job? Perhaps that’s an indication of his insecurity in his own ability. She added, “Our gender has nothing to do with our jobs or our ability to do it, and if we truly believe it and want others to believe it too, we must be the change that we want to see.”
Captain Heidi said, “Over the past 22 years, never did the term female mate or female captain get used or played,” confirming Jenny’s feelings that it’s about being able to do the job, and do it well. Something else Heidi picked up on was learning about
OUR GENDER HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH OUR JOBS OR OUR ABILITY TO DO IT, AND IF WE TRULY BELIEVE IT AND WANT OTHERS TO BELIEVE IT TOO, WE MUST BE THE CHANGE THAT WE WANT TO SEE
the girls on the interior to provide high end service and make the guests feel at home and looked after, that yacht’s operation would quite simply fail. It’s sad that such an integral part of the yacht’s operation is still being overlooked.
So outside of the interior, for those who decide to pursue a long term career in yachting, it makes sense to go down the deck or engineering route where a person can continue their professional development via courses and qualifications, and onboard mentorship or training, and their age will not stand against them.
Although a woman doing ‘a man’s job’ will always present challenges and difficulties from those who believe in stereotypes, there are plenty of strong women out there in the yachting industry who refused to tow the line and do what they wanted, and there have been lots of great men who have supported them in achieving their goals (in case you thought this was going to be a man bashing piece, it’s not). Chief officer Jenny said, “If you lined up
ourselves, and making sure we develop our own individual skills. “I did have my moments in the early days of being a mate directing deckhands, when I thought some negative reactions received were due to gender (or nationality) issues but later realised I was lacking leadership skills.
Once that A-ha moment came, my life and colleague relationships aboard got easier and easier. I’ve also noticed that to maintain good relationships with all, I have to be sure to participate in the occasional spa or pamper days (painful to me!) as well as the go-cart and paintball days (way more fun) when extra curricular activities take a perceived gender bias.”
Karolina, a Polish OOW joined yachting after working in the commercial industry on tankers and bulk carriers where women were very much in the minority, and she felt she wasn’t taken seriously. Moving to yachting has been a great move for her, she said, “It’s the first time in my life I have received respect and
ONBOARD | SPRING 2018 | 33
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