Today, the All Aboard Alliance and TURTLE released a new report, ‘Employability in maritime: Four key challenges facing women seafarers,’ which sheds light on the critical barriers women face in maritime careers. Drawing on insights from over 3,300 seafarers, it identifies four major barriers: gender and nationality discrimination, certification, systemic bias, and career transition difficulties.
Women make up less than 2% of the global seafaring workforce, yet their participation is essential to address the maritime sector’s growing talent shortage. This report provides data-driven insights and practical recommendations to create a more inclusive, equitable industry.
''I am deeply troubled by the discrimination seafarers from the Global South, notably from Africa, continue to face as they confront barriers rooted in both gender and nationality. These systemic inequities reveal a harsh reality: the maritime industry is still far from equitable, with too many talented men and women left behind simply because of their gender or where they come from," said Susanne Justesen, the Global Maritime Forum's director of human sustainability.
“At TURTLE, we're proud to have co-designed this survey with the Global Maritime Forum to spotlight the intersectional challenges female seafarers face, particularly gender and nationality discrimination, which persist in the maritime industry. With women making up less than 2% of the global seafaring workforce amid a severe shortage, breaking down these barriers is essential. Distributed through TURTLE's extensive database, the survey aims to reach a wide audience to raise awareness and drive progress toward a more inclusive, resilient maritime," said Isabelle Rickmers, CEO of TURTLE.
Read the report here.
The Global Maritime Forum is an international not-for-profit organisation committed to shaping the future of global seaborne trade. It works by bringing together visionary leaders and experts who, through collaboration and collective action, strive to increase sustainable long-term economic development and human well-being.
Established in 2017, the Global Maritime Forum is funded through a combination of grants and partner contributions. It operates independently of any outside influence and does not support individual technologies or companies. Most of its roughly 45-person staff is based in the organisation's headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark.