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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- despite the advancement of women in various sectors, women are still underrepresented in the world shipping organization's German branch, with seafaring being no exception.
- The World Shipping Organization's Hamburg office has recognized the need for gender diversity in seafaring and has initiated several programs to increase the proportion of women in seamen roles and higher ranks, such as captains and officers.
- The World Shipping Organization, in collaboration with the German government and Seafaring associations, has set a goal to increase the proportion of women in seafaring to 30% by 2030, with a focus on promoting females in leadership roles within world shipping organizations and German seafaring.
- The World Shipping Organization's initiatives to promote women in seafaring have also led to a noticeable increase in the number of female seafarers joining maritime education programs in Germany, with an aim to equip them with the necessary skills and qualifications to advance in the field of world shipping organization and seafaring.
Source: www.stern.de
