There are various types of barriers, including physical, social, and psychological barriers, that hinder women from entering the workforce (Narayanan et al., 2023). In the maritime industry, gender stereotyping is the most common barrier for females to participate in. Attributed largely to an old notion that working at sea requires great physical strength, thus women are not welcomed since women are physically weaker than men. This bias is harmful as it limits females to make choices about their lives. A recent study in 2019 by Batu & Apriani S revealed that 76.6% of 130 men and 32 women respondents agreed that women are capable of working on ships, suggesting that physical differences do not determine personal capabilities.
Another barrier that is based on stereotyping is gender roles. Rogers et al., (2013) define gender roles as the normalized roles that men and women are expected to perform in their everyday lives. Such roles are defined around social and behavioral norms as practiced by society. For example, a common gender role for women is the homemaker and primary child-rearer, with men expected to be the main income earner in order to support his family. We can see a real example of this stereotype in the Village Kima Bajo, Wori District, North Minahasa District where women have to cover the lack of income of the husband who works as a fisherman with an uncertain income, in fisherman family, a wife not only plays the role of housewife but also helps her husband's income in meeting the needs of her family. Therefore, family income should not come from the husband alone but from a wife who takes part in helping her husband's income, the women play a dual role as breadwinners (Torere et al., 2019). However society labels them as fisherman wives, instead of her skill and potential. It means that society fails to recognize that the roles and responsibilities of women and men can be equal. The failure to grasp this equality concept means preventing women from having equal opportunities as men and from contributing to (and benefitting from) economic, social, cultural and political development.
The existence of those stereotypes in society undeniably holds back females from pursuing careers in the maritime industry which causes low representation of females in the industry. In the global maritime industry, women only fill 1.28% of the workforce or equivalent to roughly 24,059 seafarers in the BIMCO/ICS 2021 Seafarer Workforce Report. The cruise line sector is recorded to be the most attractive sector by filling approximately 17% to 18%, as reported by the International Labor Organization. In the maritime education sector, according to data from the newly-published 2021 IMO-WISTA Women in Maritime Survey Report, Indonesian female graduate students from marine/maritime institutions only account for 2%. This under-representation can be attributed to a lack of awareness about maritime careers in the early years of school as well as the fact that the majority of female applicants lack experience, as remarked by the organization's perspective including by HR Managers and Business Owners. Meanwhile, from women employees’ perspective, the maritime industry lacks appeal to women to challenge themselves to choose this industry. Women are discouraged by an uncomfortable feeling of working in a largely male-dominated environment and a dilemma to choose between career and family for married women or later when they get married (Maritime Industry Australia Ltd., 2020). These barriers emphasize the need for mitigating frameworks and strategies to reshape gender-based role beliefs and stereotypes.
For women and girls who love the sea and have passion for pursuing career paths in the maritime industry have their own challenges. Because the maritime industry is male-dominated industry type, women working in this field often have two portrayals, the first one is a tough woman and the second is “the unrecognized”. Tough women mean that they are able to survive in masculine cultures and the latter implies that they are not recognized for their skills and talents. The stereotype of women workers in the maritime industry is that they are built, think, and act like a man should be left behind. Women have a right to be seen by what they bring to the table same as men.
Let us look at a high-profile figure in the Indonesian government such as Susi Pudjiastuti who was a Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries in 2019. She is well-known for dauntless acts of sinking and exploding foreign ships caught poaching in Indonesian waters, bravely publishing violations of fishing vessels tracking data, and creating regulations to reduce unsustainable fishing practices and against environmentally harmful behaviors (Coca, 2021). Susi Pudjiastuti knows full well not only on how to control the steering wheel of the ship, but also on how to which direction the ship should sail. She understood her responsibility and scored full marks in her assignments.
One eminent figure we should not miss is Senia Febrica, a scholar who enriches the body of knowledge in the field of maritime security. She has published many journals and books that are used as references for scholars all over the world, such as Maritime Security and Indonesia Cooperation, Interests, and Strategies, Port Security and Preman Organizations in Indonesia. Senia Febrica is now a Knowledge Exchange Associate of the One Ocean Hub (Law School) at the University of Strathclyde, Scotland.
Meanwhile in the coastal area in the Village Kima Bajo, Wori District, North Minahasa District, behind men go to the sea, there are women who do labor work day and night as the maker of crab capture equipment (Alat Tangkap Kepiting/IGI). They catch crabs with their own-making net then sell their catches at the nearest market. They then do laundry as their income from selling crabs are not enough to meet daily needs. Yet, society labels them as fisherman wives. This hints that women are positioned after their husband's title instead of the roles they play, while in this case, they also act as breadwinner, doing the equal job as their husband (Torere et al., 2019).
Susi Pudjiastuti and Senia Febrica prove that women can thrive in the male-dominant industry and sit in high-ranking positions while following their passion. Both of them have high self-awareness, high knowledge and confidence to make decisions and to take control of their lives, in other words, they are empowered women. On the other side, we have a woman who needs to be empowered, a woman who also puts her hard work and contributions worth being seen and appreciated.
The definition and perspective of women's empowerment may have evolved over time, yet the core concept still refers to the process of enabling women to take control of their lives, to make decisions, and to fully participate in all seven spheres of society. Our society system and structure were designed when women were not a common presence in the workforce. They were bolstered by traditional settings, behaviors and practices which act as barriers for women from reaching full potential. Eliminating those will inherently increase women’s ability to leverage their potential to be empowered, for example by increasing knowledge about internal and external challenges and developing strategies to overcome them
We believe that education has a key role in the empowerment of women. Through education, women will be able to gain knowledge, learn and develop foundation skills, organizational skills, and knowledge-transfer abilities that help women to prepare for employment, which is the real-life application to apply their skills to contribute in social, economic, and political life (Reshi & Sudha, 2022).
Empowerment is an individual and collective process. As girls and women develop themselves through formal education, collaborative efforts from maritime stakeholders and institutes are necessary to promote gender-neutral environments, establish more effective gender equality policies and programs, foster a more inclusive maritime training and professional sector and to create equal opportunities in leadership at all levels through programs and training such as internal mobility programs and institutional training (Narayanan et al., 2023 and Horck, 2010). This will encourage and retain women’s talent in the maritime industry and benefit organizations and employees eventually.
There are significant cases of women for whom education was the key to entering the global marine sector, particularly at higher responsibility levels than are typically available to women in this industry. Thus, if the maritime industry sees that educated women are doing well in the workplace, they will directly and indirectly support them. Women realize the importance of education to support their careers and achieve their dreams. The methods generally used are seeking for work choice, another education degree, getting a scholarship, taking training and certification, enrolling in a course, even self-study and exploring their potential. For young girls who are still in school or university, they can take an internship to leverage their knowledge and to get work experience. Women and girls can unlock their full potential by inspiring each other and building support systems. According to Gupta (2022), 75% of women leaders maintain that mentoring plays an integral part in their career. Mentoring is a melting point with a beneficial relationship which involves a more experienced person (mentor) helping a less experienced person (mentee) to identify and achieve their goals by providing support, a sounding board, knowledge, encouragement, guidance, and constructive feedback. In addition, role models are important in personal and professional development because girls and women can experiment with and evaluate according to their own standards and others’ reactions.
It's important to recognize that empowerment should not be limited to the elite few, but also to recognize and lift up other women who did not have enough privilege in education despite the challenges and situations. We need more trailblazing women like Susi Pudjiastuti and Senia Febrica across all levels of the maritime industry, scholars, and up to policymakers. Yet, from the grassroots we have to lift up women workers to be educated, more opportunity, prosperous, seen and appreciated. These role models can serve as beacons of inspiration for girls and women who aspire to enter and thrive in the maritime sector. By breaking down stereotypes, supporting and promoting female talent, and fostering a culture of gender equality, we can empower women and girls who share a passion for the sea to reach their full potential and contribute significantly to the maritime industry's future.
Closing the gender gap in the maritime industry may require some time. The tools to accelerate the process are through education, training and professional development for women. Collective efforts from stakeholders and institutions to design gender-balanced policies may be ineffective without changes in cultural beliefs and attitudes on gender relations from all layers in society.
Authors:
Bara Maritim: Masaji Faiz Dani Agus Setiani, Merisa Dwi Juanita
21st Century Kartini: Dinda Mazeda, Trie Lany Putri Y
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