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Women still a minority in seafaring

Traditionally, the shipping industry has been dominated by men. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been trying to change this for several years and specifically promote women. In Germany, change is emerging in one area in particular.

Swetlana Timm-Vengerov, second technical officer at Hapag-Lloyd, stands next to the main engine.....aussiedlerbote.de
Swetlana Timm-Vengerov, second technical officer at Hapag-Lloyd, stands next to the main engine. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de

Advancement of women - Women still a minority in seafaring

Female seafarers are still a minority in Germany. At the end of September this year, they accounted for around 6.7 percent of the 7,900 or so employees in merchant shipping and deep-sea fishing who are subject to pension insurance contributions. This is according to figures from Knappschaft-Bahn-See. Over the past four years, the proportion of women in the shipping industry has fluctuated between 5.4 and 5.9 percent at the end of each year. There is no discernible trend towards an increase or decrease during this period.

The situation is different for women who work in the commercial or service sector of seafaring - for example in the kitchen or as a waitress: according to the data, most female crew members still work in this area. Nevertheless, the proportion of women in this area has fallen by almost ten percentage points since 2019 to 42.5% this year. "The decrease in the area of commercial personnel means an increase in the proportion of female employees in the area of more highly qualified maritime personnel," says Knappschaft-Bahn-See.

In the higher ranks, such as captains and officers, the proportion of women this year, as in previous years, was below that of women in seafaring as a whole. In 2023, it amounted to 3.8 percent, while in the four previous years it fluctuated between 2.6 and 3.2 percent.

The proportion of women was highest in the younger age groups in each of the five years. In 2023, it was 10.3% for both 18 to 20-year-olds and 26 to 30-year-olds. At 13.1%, the proportion of 21 to 25-year-olds was almost twice as high as the proportion of women across all age groups.

IMO gender equality program

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Source: www.stern.de

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