Gender perceptions in shipping

ABSTRACT

There are many industries wherein gender imbalance is the norm. One of these is shipping. As far as gender is concerned, the maritime domain seems to be a catalyst for discrimination on board vessels and on shore. The number of women as compared to that of men is completely unbalanced and what is more so, even the few women that are employed in the entirety of the maritime domain, may be faced with further discriminatory practices; exclusion, harassment, and even abuse. Within this situation, the studies demonstrating and analysing the specifics of gender dynamics in shipping are sparse. This distinct research gap is covered by the present work. A questionnaire-based survey was administered with reference to pertinent strategic factors in shipping and the responses were segregated based on gender. Statistical analysis uncovers that there are differing perceptions in the way males and females acknowledge different factors. Further cluster analysis in the results reveals that both females and males can contribute distinct added value to the shipping sector. These results are important as they prove that the gender imbalance in shipping is completely unsubstantiated and needs to be addressed imminently if the industry wishes to head towards a sustainable paradigm.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments, suggestions, and dedication to improve the manuscript. The authors also must express their gratitude to the shipping professionals and academics that took part in the survey. PJS: Conceptualisation, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Validation, Visualisation, Writing – original draft, Writing – revision. SP: Conceptualisation, Methodology, Supervision, Project administration. FT: Investigation, Resources, Writing – original draft.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Availability of data and material

Data will be made available upon request.

Notes

1 https://www.imo.org/en/ourwork/technicalcooperation/pages/womeninmaritime.aspx.

2 Gender AND parity OR discrimination.

3 Transportation AND gender AND parity OR discrimination.

4 Maritime AND gender AND parity OR discrimination.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Peter J. Stavroulakis

Peter J. Stavroulakis is a Mechanical & Production Engineer (NTUA), with a master's degree in business administration from the Agricultural University of Athens, a master's degree in occupational and environmental health from the Medical School of Athens, and a PhD from the Department of Maritime Studies of the University of Piraeus, where he continues his post-doctoral research in the field of sustainability of maritime clusters. He also has training certificates in child and adolescent psychopathology and psychodynamic therapy. Peter has been a member of the School of Business and Economics of The American College of Greece since 2018 and teaches courses in the areas of Shipping, Transportation, and Management. He also serves as a Member of the Board of Fellows of the Center of Excellence in Logistics, Shipping, and Transportation. Peter is an external consultant for the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education, with a keen interest in contributing to the sector of Quality Assurance for Higher Education and has also served in the Steering Committee of EU-funded projects with the goal of sustainability and education in the maritime domain.

Stratos Papadimitriou

Stratos Papadimitriou is a Professor at the Department of Maritime Studies of the University of Piraeus teaching transport planning and logistic courses and is the Director of the Transportation Systems Laboratory. He has been the Chairman BoD of the Athens International Airport from 2010 to 2012 and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Athens Urban Transport Organization (OASA) from 1997 to 2002 among past assignments. During his five-year tenure at OASA, the public transportation companies under the OASA umbrella including the Athens METRO and Light Rail systems were reorganized and restructured financially, a major investment plan was implemented, and a variety of innovative programs were introduced which modernized public transport in greater Athens and improved mobility. He has also served as an advisor to Ministers of Transport for national and European affairs and has acted as a consultant in various entities. Currently he is an advisor to the founder of a NYSE listed major ship owning company. He has been involved in managing and participating in more than 20 European Union funded research projects regarding transport planning, logistics, maritime and urban transport. He serves regularly as an evaluator in DG MOVE / REA (CeF) Research Framework programs and for the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA). He has published more than 55 research papers and his work has been cited more than 4100 times.

Freideriki Tsirikou

Freideriki Tsirikou is a graduate from Deree-The American College of Greece and is now occupied as an associate in an audit firm that provides services to shipping companies. Her main interests refer to analyzing and interpreting the dynamic nature and characteristics of the shipping industry, as well as identifying what can be improved within the sector. Her goal is to expand her studies with regard to shipping and continue her professional engagement within.