(Commonwealth Union)_ The Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA) used the word “shocking” to describe the findings of its most recent survey on gender-based discrimination onboard ships. According to a WISTA International study performed in the past six months, two-thirds of 1,128 female seafarers from 78 nations who were surveyed reported experiencing prejudice from their male colleagues. 399 women, or more than one-third of those polled, were from the Philippines, followed by 98 from the US, 57 from the UK, and 51 from South Africa. The remaining women at sea were from Indonesia, Brazil, India, Peru, and Colombia.
WISTA International cited the report published on Monday as saying, “An in-depth survey in the marine sector found startling results in gender-based discrimination against women, onboard harassment and bullying.” Together with the International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance Network, the International Chamber of Shipping and ship management business Anglo Eastern located in Hong Kong, the organization conducted the poll. Prior to the WISTA International Congress in Geneva, it was published in The Diversity Handbook. 2018 saw the publication of the initial guide and survey.
According to the most recent poll, 97% of the women believed that their workplace had a policy against harassment and bullying, even though the majority still admitted to having experienced harassment. WISTA, a group that seeks to support and recruit women into the shipping, logistics, and trading industries, stated that organizations must make sure that their company harassment policies are widely publicized in order to increase their visibility, level of awareness, and strict on-the-ground enforcement.
According to the research, 25% of the women seafarers on board, 90% of whom were employed on cruise ships, faced physical and sexual harassment that entailed invasions of their privacy. Only 82% of female seafarers stated they had received training on adjusting to the male-dominated workplace on board, and only 13% said they had reported harassment they had encountered.
