Women in maritime

Our mission is to celebrate the achievements of women in maritime and drive awareness of the issues facing them in the hope of achieving gender equality in a historically male dominated industry.

Statistics

 According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), women make up:

  • <2% of the seafarer work force worldwide
  • 5% of the seafarer workforce in Australia
  • 3% of the shore-based maritime work force in Australia.

Source: MIAL Diversity Census 2020

Although the number of female seafarers has increased by 45.8% since 2015, there is still much work to do to increase female participation in the maritime industry.

Increasing participation of women: benefits

Improving the participation of women in maritime is not just a matter of social justice. Benefits include:

  • reducing the skills shortage which contributes to economic growth
  • bringing diverse perspectives and skills to better understand the needs of diverse stakeholders
  • creating more inclusive workplace cultures, which boosts employee morale and retention
  • improved performance and sustainability in the industry.

Promoting gender equity in the maritime sector not only drives social progress but also unlocks economic and operational benefits for organisations and the industry.