Since 1911, when the first International Women’s Day was celebrated and supported by over one million people, every 8th of March is another reminder of the inequality and another step towards the achievement of a world with equal opportunities for sexes. On the occasion of this year’s IWD, SAFETY4SEA focuses on a very specific aspect of sex discrimination: Women in leadership roles.
The participation of more women in leadership roles is a major field of the global fight to equality. Although an estimated 47% of the total labor force consisted of women, a recent review of S&P 500 companies revealed that women hold less than 5% of CEO positions.
Under its Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and empowerment of women and girls, the United Nations aims, among others, to ‘ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.’
Extending the scope of this fight, women in leadership position remains a hot issue across all business sectors, and maritime included. Of 6,500 engine officers at sea currently, only 1% are estimated to be female. According to HR Consulting, over 76% of the women’s workforce operated at administrative, junior and professional level roles in 2017, with few reaching managerial levels or higher. The survey also found that women employees were heavily weighted at the junior level and 90% of all other employees were men, suggesting that there were indeed few opportunities for women to progress in such functions.
Especially in the shipping industry, which is considered as a male-dominated sector, women would be rarely seen in senior leadership positions before; however, discussions over a more sustainable future have brought a sea of change in the shipping industry in this important topic and now we witness women rising up the ranks!
Women in maritime: where we stand
The last months have been an interesting year for women in shipping. IMO has recently shed its efforts to raise awareness on the issue, with the decision to set ‘Empowerment of women in the maritime sector’ as the theme of World Maritime day for this year, while it has supported several trainings for women in port management, over the recent months.
Additionally, following approval by IMO Council, WISTA is able from 2018 and beyond to use its consultative status to promote diversity.
Women were promoted in key management positions in the past year:
- EMSA Administrative Board nominated Ms. Maja Markovčić Kostelac as the next EMSA Executive Director.
- Sadan Kaptanoglu was selected to become BIMCO’s first woman President in June 2019.
- Ms. Quah Ley Hoon has been appointed as the Chief Executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), as from 1 January 2019.
- As of 12 December 2018, Thailand’s former Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, has been appointed as the chairwoman of Shantou International Container Terminal (SICT), operated by Hutchison Ports and located at China’s eastern Guangdong province.
- At the annual IMO Awards ceremony in December, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim presented the International Maritime Prize for 2017 to Mrs. Birgit Sølling Olsen, former Deputy Director-General of the Danish Maritime Authority.
- At the start of 2019, Mrs Suzanne Beckstoffer took the helm of SNAME (Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers) as President, being the first woman to hold this position in the association’s 125-year history.
(Women’s) full and meaningful participation in the economy, political decision-making and society is key to addressing maritime challenges,
…said IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim in his welcoming address to the 6th session of the Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR6) in February.
Female vs Male leaders
Either in the maritime or in any other industry, the fact that mostly men are those who are holding leadership positions may have its routes to stereotypical behavioral models, derived from patriarchy, which shape men and women from their very first years of their lives, creating perceptions that men are more effective leaders.
In some cases, even women think that men are better leaders. According to a recent survey, women show a preference for male leaders.
Did u know?
According to WISTA, Norway was ranked first in gender equality in the maritime in 2017, where women accounted for 42% on company boards.
What are the key characteristics of women leaders?
Research has examined whether or not there are sex differences in leadership; what it is evident, whatsoever, is that a lot of progress has been made on our professional lives over the last 50 years, bridging the gap between males and females.
- Open communication: Women leaders teen to communicate openly, visiting their team members, inspiring them, offering guidance as well as encouragement aiming to transform them into professionals.
- People-oriented: Instinctively, females are natural givers; they care more about their team members’ well-being than males do, and show highest levels of emotional intelligent than men – they feel the need to share their feelings.
- Focus on details: In most cases, females are masters in paying attention to details, which means they have a strong ability to track, assess and manage change.
- Organized: Study shows men are less organized than women, mainly when switching quickly between tasks. Women hormones play a major part in this discrepancy.
The gender pay gap and the market
Gender imbalance also reflects in gender pay gap. According to EU figures released in late 2018, women in Europe earn 16.2% less than men. In in the maritime field, the figure climbs to 45% in global scale.
According to ILO figures, the top three gender gaps in the world of work are:
- Equal Pay – 20%
- Employment – 26%
- Management and leadership – 27%
