Global maritime bodies have cautioned that the persistent underrepresentation of women, lower pay, unfair treatment, limited job security, hiring bias, and failure to expand the female talent pool in the maritime sector could worsen existing workforce shortages. Despite decades of policy commitments aimed at improving gender equality, women continue to occupy a marginal position in the global maritime industry, with global maritime bodies lamenting that figures relating to women's participation have remained unchanged since 2024.
These were the conversations held during the International Day for Women in Maritime, observed every May 18, under the theme: "From Policy to Practice: Advancing Gender Equality for Maritime Excellence." The yearly commemoration called for stronger implementation of global commitments to ensure women benefit equitably across all levels of the maritime value chain, from ship operations to senior leadership.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) decried that the theme underscored growing concern that global commitments on gender inclusion have yet to translate into measurable change across the sector, revealing that women account for less than two per cent of seafarers and under 20 per cent of the onshore maritime workforce.
Secretary-General of the IMO, Arsenio Dominguez, highlighted the IMO and Women's International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) Women in Maritime Survey 2024, which showed that women represent just one per cent of the total seafaring workforce globally, while holding only 19 per cent of ministerial positions responsible for maritime affairs. In the private sector, women occupy about 34 per cent of board seats, indicating a steep drop-off in representation at operational and technical levels compared to governance spaces.
Dominguez said the number has remained the same in this current day, suggesting that progress toward gender parity in maritime remains slow, uneven, and far from institutionalised. The maritime community stated that many women in the sector remain concentrated in seasonal or lower-paid service roles such as catering, hospitality, ferries, and cruise ship support services, as well as fisheries, which typically offer limited economic security and fewer pathways to senior technical or operational positions.
The survey also flagged serious concerns around safety at sea, including cases of violence, sexual harassment, bullying, and assault, issues which remain underreported but widely acknowledged as barriers to retention. Dominguez warned that the figures reflect not just inequality but a structural loss of untapped talent at a time when the maritime sector is under pressure from digitalisation, decarbonisation, and a global shortage of skilled workers. He stressed that gender mainstreaming must be treated as a core operational strategy rather than a peripheral social agenda.
At the event, the IMO launched a Handbook on Gender Mainstreaming in the Maritime Sector, a practical guide to help maritime organisations translate policy commitments into actionable reforms. The IMO boss noted that gender mainstreaming requires systematic integration of gender perspectives into maritime policies, regulations, and operational practices, including recruitment, safety standards, training, and workplace design.
President of the World Maritime University (WMU), Prof. Maximo Mejia, said despite the maritime sector being central to shaping economies, livelihoods, and the movement of goods worldwide, it has yet to fully realise the untapped potential of its human capital. He said gender disparities persist across most maritime domains and hinder equal access to education, training, leadership opportunities, and fair working conditions.
Mejia said that while there has been steady growth in women's participation in areas such as maritime education, structural barriers, limited data, and persistent gender-based biases continue to hinder progress toward gender equality across the wider industry. He said it was within this context that the handbook was conceived, recognising the immense need for a practical, maritime-specific guide to gender mainstreaming.
Academic Dean and Head of Maritime Education and Training at the World Maritime University, Prof. Momoko Kitada, who authored the handbook, expressed hope that all maritime professionals, by working together, can lead the way in gender-transformative work across the maritime sector.
