Women in Maritime Sector
THE IMPACT OF PROMOTING WOMEN IN THE MARITIME SECTOR
The participation of women in the maritime sector has traditionally been low due to historical, cultural and social factors. Although the percentage of women making up the maritime workforce has increased in recent years as a result of women's liberation movements and globalization, women are still found to be concentrated in housekeeping and hospitality functions in cruise vessels as opposed to working in the marine or galley areas. By encouraging more women to enter into areas that have traditionally remained dominated by men, a number of positive political and economic changes can be brought about. At the same time, there is the likelihood that certain social and cultural challenges may have to be dealt with.
The Positive Impact of Promoting Women in the Maritime Sector
Promoting women in the maritime sector can result in significant political and economic changes for both men as well as women. Women can come to be better represented in the strategic management in the sector which would also result in their ability to better support themselves and their families economically.
The Political Aspects
Promoting women in the maritime sector can help to reduce the disparity in political power between the genders in the maritime sector. Because of the greater demand on physical labour and long periods of stay away from the home, women have traditionally made up a small part of the maritime workforce. According to a study conducted by Wu (2005), women only make up 19% of the workforce in the maritime sector whereas men make up 81% of the workforce. This reflects the traditional identification of feminity as the antithesis of masculinity and is therefore a social construct instead of a biological or innate one (May & Powell, 2008).
By encouraging more women to enter the maritime sector, their political representation in the sector can be increased. By such representation, women can be in a stronger position to initiate changes in the industry sector to facilitate the employment of women. One significant challenge in the maritime sector for women is the long periods to be spent away from home, which places them in a dilemma with regard to their domestic responsibilities. Through increased participation in the workforce, women can use their collective power to bring about changes in shift duration that can allow them to balance their familial and professional commitments in a better way.
Another traditional limitation that has prevented women from joining the maritime sector in large numbers is the demand on physical strength and labor. Although this remains a necessity even in modern times, computerized machinery and technology have made maritime operations automated and less labor-intensive. Through greater participation, women can lead thinking in areas where the disparity in male-female participation in the workforce is based more on cultural precedent rather than on objective factors. Since there are fewer social or cultural taboos today concerning women's performing physical labor alongside of men, such promotion can help to narrow the political power gap between men and women in the maritime sector.
The study by Wu (2005) shows that in the maritime sector, women are largely employed in the guest service where 34% women find employment. Similarly, 23% of the women in the maritime sector are employed in the cabin department. In the bar and food department, another 20% of the women workforce find employment. However, they are employed in far less numbers in other departments. For instance, only 2% of the women in the maritime sector are employed in the marine department while 4% of the women are found in the galley department. Another report by Belcher et al. (2003) reveals that more than half of the seafaring women in the world work on ferries while close to another quarter work on ferry ships. Women are also found to outnumber men in some departments such as bar and food, cabin and guest service, where they have greater representation and enjoy greater power. However, these departments are perceived as support departments whereas other departments where men outnumber women are thought to be central and crucial for the maritime sector. The study also reveals that only 13% of the women occupy senior officer positions while most of them are in the junior or petty officer and middle level positions. Recently, however, more women seafarers on cruise ships have been assuming senior positions (Belcher et al., 2003). This puts women in a weaker position with regard to men in the maritime sector because they exercise less strategic power and control over resources. This political...
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