Addressing the gender gap in ocean-based careers

The maritime industry lacks gender equity. The stark gap between men and women’s participation in the blue economy can be seen in the minuscule proportion of women seafarers: only around 1% of seafarers globally identify as women.

If the transition to a more sustainable ocean economy is to be truly equitable, gender diversity—and diversity in general—needs to be a top priority going forward. Involving more young women in blue skills education is one way to bridge the divide. Beyond investing in knowledge-building and recruitment, the steady emergence of new sustainable maritime professions heralds a new era for women seafarers and marine engineers.

The “Sea Ranger” is a new profession, essentially a marine park ranger to guard protected sea areas. In this regard, the Sea Ranger Service is a social company that trains young people as Sea Rangers to assist governments in managing the ocean. Sea Rangers are involved in all types of offshore monitoring, research and surveying assignments. Some rangers are also trained as drone pilots or go on to become first mates.

The new Sea Ranger role, which actively works towards a more sustainable blue economy, notably attracts predominantly women. Since 2018, more than100 participants have joined the Sea Ranger Bootcamp in order to train as Sea Rangers, with 72% of those applying being young women.

At Project Seagrass, a non-profit working to restore seagrass along British coastlines, they see a similar trend. Becoming a seagrass scientist is another recently emerging professional option for those considering a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) career. With the recognition of seagrass restoration as a valid nature-based solution to climate change, as seagrass naturally stores carbon, the expectation is that this type of work—and the need for skilled workers—will only grow over the coming years.

“We see a huge attraction for our work amongst women. Roughly 75% of our current team are women”, explains Dr Richard Lilley, seagrass scientist, and co-founder and CEO of the charity.

In innovative seafood production, women are also leading pioneering ventures as seaweed farmers. North Sea Farmers is an organisation that accelerates offshore seaweed cultivation with a majority female-run team. Zeewaar, the first Dutch seaweed farm established in 2013, is another entirely female-led initiative.

To Sophie Hankinson—a Sea Ranger currently serving at sea—it is common sense that women have a central role to play in the growing sustainable blue economy.

“If you leave women out of the process of creating sustainable solutions, you miss half the world’s population to tackle critical environmental problems. I believe we need everybody’s motivation, skills, and creativity to ensure future generations can live healthy and prosperous lives”, she explains.

As the traditional maritime industry transitions towards a sustainable blue economy, it has significant challenges ahead.

However, prioritising diversity is not an obstacle but an opportunity. As women move into innovative, new roles that accelerate the sustainability and regeneration of the ocean, the sector will benefit considerably from their involvement as part of a new generation of passionate and solutions-focused young maritime professionals.

Are you working on game-changing solutions for a sustainable blue economy? Apply here to be an Ocean Changemaker and showcase your ideas on a global stage

Main image credit: Sea Ranger Service

Wietse van der Werf is a social entrepreneur and conservationist. His work focuses on regenerating the ocean while driving social-economic impact for coastal communities at the same time. His innovative approach mobilises businesses, governments and citizens to work in uncommon partnerships for combined social and environmental impact. Mr van der Werf’s impactful approach has been recognised through numerous awards and fellowships. He was named Ashoka Fellow in 2018, Young Business Talent in 2019 and European Young Leader in 2020.