Greece & Cyprus Looking to Boost Women's Role in Maritime Sector

• Greece's maritime workers' pension fund (NAT) unveiled its initial study on encouraging women's employment in shipping
• The research was highlighted during the 89th Thessaloniki International Fair

The National Pension Fund for Maritime Employees (NAT) in Greece presented its first publication entitled “International Good Practices for the Promotion of Women's Maritime Employment” during the 89th Thessaloniki International Fair, which took place at the pavilion of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security.

The document was edited by Gabriel Amitsis, Professor of Social Security Law at the University of West Attica and builds on NAT’s existing marked Annual Report on Maritime Employment.

This current offer has now had three editions and has been established as an essential publication in the sector.

The research identifies 7.8 percent of total registered maritime employment in Greece is held by women. This is considerably higher than the rest of the world with an international average of 1.2 percent for 2021 and the European average of 2.4 percent for 2022.

The study hopes to provide helpful information for those involved in the sector, because as an inclusion it would provide statistical monitoring and share examples of good practice, which allows employers to take practical action to help women enter the workplace and remain in the industry.

It presents 25 representative measures, including awareness campaigns, gender discrimination policies, research initiatives, as well as guides and awards.

Overall, data from the IMO-WISTA Women in Maritime Survey 2024 suggests that there are more opportunities for women in shore-based roles in the maritime sector than at sea, as women represent just fewer than 19 percent of the overall maritime workforce and only around 1 percent of seafarers who work for surveyed organizations.

There are similar initiatives in Cyprus, which has a National Strategy for Gender Equality that recognizes gender as a cross-cutting issue of public policy.

An absence of women in seafaring roles is particularly important to the government since women constitute only about 2 percent of the global workforce as seafarers.

Measures such as the Cyprus Shipping Gender Equality Award, surveys of the maritime workforce by the government, and the support of local associations that each offer gender equality opportunities mirror the practices found in the Greek case study.

Both nations are pushing the message of added female presence in the shipping industry as part of competitiveness and sustainability.

The event saw representation from the Ministry's political leadership and directors of its overseen agencies.