Nordic maritime sector sets sail towards greater gender equality

“Yes, it is still an extremely male-dominated industry,” confirms Lene Dyring from the Norwegian Seafarers Union (NSF), Norway’s largest trade union for seafarers and ocean fishers. 

The union’s membership number has been stable at above 13,000 for the past 10 years. Around 20 per cent are women. There are active efforts to recruit more women to the maritime industry and to engage more women in the trade union.

“But this takes time,” says Dyring. 

Tradition and culture

Male dominance in the maritime sector has long, historic roots. There are still strong traditional and cultural ideas of who is suited to seafaring and fishing. Competencies like technical skills, leadership abilities and navigation are still to a great extent associated with men and masculinity.

It is, after all, not long since the expression “women bring bad luck at sea” was still in use.

In 2023, the Norwegian government launched a gender equality strategy for the maritime sector.  

Leading up to this, the Eastern Norway Research Institute at the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences conducted a survey for the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries.

The resulting report – “Gender equality and diversity in the maritime industry and education – a survey” – concluded that jobs at sea and along the coast are male-dominated and that a rough culture and high threshold for speaking up could help explain the low female representation in the maritime sector.

“Women in the industry, both at sea and onshore, experience not being heard and not being taken seriously. More than their male colleagues, they have to demonstrate that they have solid competencies,” Lisa Knatterud Wold, one of the report’s authors told the Kilden magazine.

Some of the conclusions from the report on female representation included:

• Female representation in the maritime sector is low in general. The proportion of women working on ships is 11 per cent while in the broader maritime sector (suppliers, shipping transport, services and shipyards) it is 21 per cent.
• Women in general earn less than men in the maritime sector, even when controlling for education, job title and age. The differences are largest in shipping and transport. Differences are considerably lower in the shipyard segment.
• The proportion of women among students is relatively stable at 20 per cent in the university and higher education sector. In higher vocational education, the trend is mainly increasing with a growing number of female applicants.

“Nothing to be had in the maritime industry”

Being one woman among many men can be challenging, according to women interviewed for the report.

One ferry company employee says:

“Language has perhaps become a bit rougher among seafarers than elsewhere in society. But most are prepared for this. Since the language is what it is, it is also easy to take it up, to say: you need to shut up, you pig, or something like that, a completely legitimate comment you can make whenever. But, of course, those who are not used to being at sea, there are probably many who think the language goes far beyond acceptable limits.”

A woman high up in the leadership of a shipping company describes a sector where it is difficult to climb even for someone who is ambitious: 

“It is hard getting to the top. That’s one of the reasons I changed from the job I used to have. Because there are only men on the board and in the top leadership, except for one… I think perhaps now, if I spoke to some women, some who had just graduated, I would recommend that they choose a different industry if they have ambitions. There is nothing to be had in the maritime industry.”

Many points to a generational shift in the industry that will lead to a cultural change where women to a greater extent become equal to men at sea: 

“I think this culture will die out because the younger generation doesn’t have the same background. They are used to seeing women in all kinds of positions.”

Thinking outside the box 

Lena Dyring at the Norwegian Seafarers Union points out that recruiting women to the maritime sector is an ongoing challenge, especially to operative positions like deckhands and machinists. Meanwhile, there are some positive developments in parts of the industry. 

However, retaining women who are in the stage of life where they wish to start a family is a challenge, especially women at sea.

“We need to create conditions that make it possible to retain people. We must think outside the box, like facilitating shorter shift periods, and we must work with flexible solutions that allow women to keep their certifications even if they spend some time onshore,” says Dyring. 

A declaration of cooperation is coming

Last year, the Norwegian government began work on a declaration of cooperation for increased gender equality in the maritime sector together with the employees’ and employers’ organisations.

It is especially challenging to recruit women for occupations such as deckhand and marine engineer. (Photo: The Swedish Maritime Association)

In order to meet future skills needs, it is important to recruit from the entire population, both men and women, underlined the then Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy, now the Minister for Trade and Industry, Cecilie Myrseth at the time.

The declaration of cooperation will address four focus areas: recruitment and role models, an inclusive work environment, a workplace free from harassment, and an adapted work environment. 

The plan is for the declaration of cooperation to be signed by the parties before International Women’s Day on 8 March this year. 

Bullying and harassment 

Last year, the Norwegian Maritime Directorate highlighted the psychosocial work environment onboard Norwegian ships. Together with the Norwegian Maritime Competence Foundation, they funded a research project to examine the connections between work environment, inclusion, and safety. 

The research institute SINTEF has led the work, in collaboration with the Equality Center KUN." 

The results are gathered in the new report “Safety for all – Measures for a safer and more inclusive workplace at sea”. 

The report unveils serious issues linked to safety, harassment and work environments, especially for minority groups onboard.

Some of the most important findings included:

• 27 per cent of seafarers say they have experienced one or more forms of bullying or harassment. 
• Language barriers and an excluding culture weaken safety.
• Women and other minorities face extra challenges that impact their safety and well-being.

“This is not only about safety, it is also about well-being, security and common decency,” said Hans Sande, CEO of the Norwegian Maritime Officers’ Association when the report was launched in December last year.

“The results were not a surprise, but definitely not pleasant reading. There is more focus on this now and also more space to talk about it, but yes – it does take time to change a culture,” says Lena Dyring at the Norwegian Seafarers Union. 

A Nordic project

Gender equality in the maritime industry is an international topic, especially within the UN’s International Maritime Organisation (IMO). 

The Norwegian Seafarers Union participates in the Nordic REDO Lookout project, which was launched by the Swedish Maritime Association. The project is funded by the Nordic Gender Equality Fund and includes partners in Norway, Sweden and Åland.

Cajsa Fransson and Jill Jarnsäter at the Swedish Maritime Association are working with the project.

Sweden is a far smaller seafaring nation than Norway. Stena Line is the biggest employer, followed by smaller ferry operations. This means more women are working in the sector, especially in service positions. 

Women make up around 20 per cent of employees, but the proportion of women working in operative positions like deck and machine is far lower at around 4 to 5 per cent. Few women want to stay long-term.

It is about working environments

Fransson and Jarnsäter explain that REDO Lookout is part of REDO, a larger project they have been running for some years. 

Cajsa Fransson and Jill Jarnsäter at the Swedish Maritime Association work with the Redo project. (Photo: Privat)

The first REDO project started in 2020 as a consequence of the campaigns #metoo, #lättaankar and vågrätt (the Swedish maritime industry's response to address sexual harassment and discrimination within the sector, and Sweden’s #MeToo movement within the media and culture sector). 

Its aim was to improve the social working environment at sea from a gender equality perspective. 

Today the project focuses on creating a safe working environment for all. Safety is a priority because – a secure crew means a safe ship!

The aim is to create a more diverse and gender-balanced industry. 

“We want fewer stereotyped seafarers. But we are not working to get more women into the industry. We work to create a working environment that makes more women and men want to work and stay in the maritime sector,” says Cajsa Fransson. 

She underlines that if the debate only focuses on gender equality, it could easily become polarising, pitting men against women rather than working towards a better working environment. 

“We are each other’s working environment and we must create a culture where everyone thrives,” says Fransson. 

Seminars and podcast series

Two seminars are being planned – one this year and another next year – plus a podcast series. This year’s seminar is part of the international conference “Advancing the blue economy through gender equality” at the World Maritime University in Malmö from 19 to 2 May. The university is a partner in the project.

“Cooperation between different groups and between the Nordic countries is important to find best practice and to share experiences,” they say.