September 26th is a World Maritime Day. The celebration of the day is aimed to bring an attention to the significance of gender equality in the maritime industry and especially the participation of women within the industry.
World Maritime Day is an International Maritime Organization event celebrated every year on September 26, to celebrate the critical role that the international maritime industry’s has on the global economy. Each year the IMO chooses a theme to increase awareness about affairs facing the industry. This year’s theme of “Empowering Women in the Maritime Community” has the objective of promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls in maritime sector.
Empowering the women promotes booming economies all over the world, activates growth and development, and aids everyone working in the global maritime community in the drive towards safe, secure, clean and sustainable shipping. According to the IMO, women represent only two percent of the world’s 1.2 million seafarers, with 94 percent of female seafarers working in the cruise industry.
Shipping industry has factually been a male-dominated industry and that tradition has been existing from the past. However, The IMO believes that empowering women would promote the booming economies, activates productivity and growth, and benefits every stakeholder in the world maritime community. Through its Women in Maritime gender equality and capacity-building initiatives IMO encourages its Member States to grant women to train alongside men in their marine institutes and so obtain the high-level of competence that the marine industry demands.
IMO promotes gender equality and the empowerment of women through gender definite fellowships; by expediting access to high-level technical training for women in the marine industry in developing countries; and creating the environment in which women are identified and promoted for career development opportunities in maritime administrations, ports and maritime training institutes.
