The CSA and WiMAC to work on gender equality project

Addressing misinformation about gender equality and women’s rights in the maritime sector, is as important as ensuring efficient systems, enabling environments and productive capacities, and is an ongoing focus of the Women in Maritime Association Caribbean (WiMAC).

WiMAC was established in 2015 under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to amplify discussion on the progress and development in the global maritime sector for women.

Currently, women represent two percent of the world's 1.2 million seafarers, with 94 percent of female seafarers working in the cruise industry. Women are more evenly represented in the shore-based sector. In 2015, the Port Authority of Trinidad & Tobago estimated that up to 60% of its staff were women and in February 2019, 70% of the work force of Grenada Port Authority were women.

Survey

However, a 2016 survey by the Maritime HR Association found that most women in maritime occupy administrative (74%) and junior positions (55%) mainly in corporate support human resources and finance roles. Only 37% of available professional-level positions were occupied by women: 17% at manager-level, 12% at director level and 9% at the executive level. 9% of women were found to hold positions in ship management (UNCTAD 2017). Closer to home, only 14% of maritime administrations in the Caribbean are led by women.

WiMAC is promoting the need for disaggregated data on where women are in the sector, and on the opportunities and barriers to achieving gender equality. A three-week online survey conducted in February 2019 gathered biographical, organizational and gender-related data on 77 women in the Caribbean industry. While it left several unanswered questions about gender equality in the sector, the reported areas for most concern were salary differences, work-life balance, and the absence of gender policies and industry standards. Respondents reported that while women were as capable as men to serve in senior executive positions, compared to men, women were not given equal opportunities to do so. Only 47% of respondents agreed that “management” is committed to anti-discrimination practices.

Issues

The top three issues identified to enhance gender equality were: introducing gender diversity courses for women and men; conducting gender audits in port and shipping institutions; and ensuring national gender policies reflect the culture and circumstances of the port/maritime sector.

In March 2019, Dwynette D. Eversley, WiMAC’s President reached out to Juan Carlos Croston, the President of the Caribbean Shipping Association to field a joint project on Gender Equality and Mainstreaming in the Caribbean Maritime Sector. The CSA readily agreed to partner with WiMAC and both organizations are working to define a longer-term agenda to change old paradigms. According to Mr Croston, “let’s start by making it clear what gender equality is, and what it isn’t.”

Biases

WiMAC’s President agrees. “Women aren’t interested in “taking over’ but we do need to overtake tired biases that reinforce what we can and can’t do, and where we should or shouldn’t be. We may need to start at the very fundamental level of language used in our industry that may implicitly posit men above women”.

The CSA/WiMAC Joint Project will focus on education resources that increase awareness and enhance sector buy-in in a non-threatening way and build male allies; research on cultural norms and industry practices that impact gender equality; and on partnership projects that build inclusive strategies incorporating gender perspectives.

Opening conversations about addressing the disparities in rights and access of women in the Caribbean maritime sector is not easy, but it is necessary. With the 2019 observance of World Maritime Day on the theme “Empowering Women in the Maritime Sector”, and with enhanced global focus on breaking barriers to women’s participation in male-dominated industries, the time is right for the Caribbean maritime sector to fully embrace the impacts that women can make in growing the sector and in making a much-needed difference in our social and economic development as a region.

Mission and vision of WiMAC

The mission of WiMAC is to foster the development and participation of women in the maritime sector and contribute to the growth of the industry within the region through:

• Empowerment of women through capacity building
• Advocacy on issues affecting women and the industry
• Lobbying and contributing to the development of responsive legislative and regulatory environments
• Mentorship to facilitate career advancement and professional well-being of women in the sector
• Networking to share best practices and forging of partnerships to strengthen the industry and provide opportunities for resource mobilization
• Recognition of achievements among maritime women
• Promotion of the maritime industry
• Contribution to research and development to the maritime industry
• Corporate and social responsibility.

The strategic vision of WiMAC is to be a key resource for the sustainable development of the maritime sector.