On May 18, 2024, the International Day of Women in Maritime is celebrated worldwide for the third time. The day aims to promote the employment of women in the maritime sector and to intensify efforts to reduce gender imbalance.
The International Maritime Organization, a subsidiary of the United Nations, initiated the day. It has been held annually since 2022. Encouragingly, while 5.8 percent of the socially insured employees on board the German merchant fleet were female back then, today it is 7.1 percent.
“Fortunately, the proportion of women in the German shipping industry is rising. It's a slow but steady progress. This is a positive development,” emphasizes Gaby Bornheim, President of the German Shipowners´ Association (VDR). She adds, “With a female share of over seven percent, we are significantly above the average international female representation in shipping of about 2 percent. But we are far from where we want to be. There is an obvious imbalance when only a single-digit percentage of sailors are female in a population that is roughly half female. We need to increase this share. I will continue to advocate for gender diversity in our industry.”
In 2022, out of the 6,927 socially insured employees in Germany, 400 were female on board the German merchant fleet. In 2023, there were already 485 women out of 6,964 employees (7.0 percent), and this year there are 490 women out of 6,952 employees (7.1 percent). Women on board work for example as captains, nautical or technical officers, or ship mechanics.
“It's gratifying to see that in recent years, increasingly talented and dedicated women have managed to overcome stereotypes and establish themselves in the maritime industry. The maritime world is not reserved for men," explains Bornheim.
Next Thursday, the President of the German Shipowners´ Association will speak at a special event in Bremen on the occasion of the International Day of Women in Maritime.
About the German Shipowners' Association
The German Shipowners' Association (VDR) represents the common economic and socio-political interests of German shipping companies at federal and state level as well as vis-à-vis European and international bodies. The VDR was founded in 1907 and merged with the Association of German Coastal Shipowners in 1994. With around 150 members, the VDR represents the largest part of the German merchant fleet. More information at www.reederverband.de/en.
