International Women's Day 2024
This year for international women’s day, we are celebrating all the women working at sea around the world.
Of the world’s almost 2 million seafarers, less than 2% are women. This presents certain challenges that can be different to those faced by male seafarers. It means that women are missing out on rewarding careers and the maritime industry is missing out on real talent and diversity.
The industry is slowly changing and more women are taking up positions that have been traditionally held by men. At the Norwegian Seafarers Union, we work hard to make the world of shipping more welcoming to women.
Unions working for women at sea
Sadly, we know that women are more at risk of bullying, sexual harassment and violence at work. As a union, we are proud to have contributed to the introduction of ILO Convention 190. This is a piece of international legislation that protects all workers and, specifically women, from all forms of violence in the workplace.
We have a day dedicated to our female participants at all our Cruise Seminars, where we discuss our rights and how to handle barriers to working at sea and the issues that arise when working on board. We also include training on bullying & harassment in all our Cruise Seminars and have held a conference for women working at sea for the last three years.
Women at Sea network
In partnership with the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), we are developing the Women at Sea network to support and encourage women to work and have successful careers at sea. If you are interested, please use this link to join:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WomenAtSeaNetwork
If you have a story to tell about working at sea or if you need advice or support, please send us an email: mail@nsu.org
