Asia Institute of Maritime Studies

Roxas Blvd. corner Arnaez ave. Pasay City 1302 Philippines

DISCRIMINATION OF WOMEN EMPLOYABILITY ON MARITIME INDUSTRY

IN THE PHILIPPINES

In partial fulfillment in NGEC-9

(Purposive Communication)

Submitted to:
Mrs. JudIth J. Secusana

Researcher:
MIDSHIPMAN ALONZO, PAUL P. MT11-A9
MIDSHIPMAN CARDINES, MARTIN DC. MT11-A9
MIDSHIPWOMAN TAGUINOD IMEE YSABEL E. MT11-A9

September 16, 2019

INTRODUCTION

“Women’s navigation into a male-dominated and hierarchical maritime industry has

not been smooth sailing,” (Tangi, 2008)

Discrimination based on gender (or sex) is a common civil rights violation that takes

many form, including sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, and unequal pay

for women who do the same jobs as men. In 2015, the number of Filipino seamen

around the world reached over 400,000, which is more than a quarter of the total 1.3

million-strong workforce in the global maritime industry. Of these figures, women only

comprise 2 percent. (Sharp Mind Content, 2017).

An instructor at a maritime private school in Quezon City shared an experience she

had when she was exploring the industry, when she had her training as a cadet officer

in an inter-island shipping firm. “Parang natrauma ako, kasi pakiramdam ko mababa

‘yung tingin nila sa akin, sa mga babae, na parang hindi ko kaya. Tapos every time,

sinasabi na pambahay ka lang, mag-alaga ng bata or gagawa ng baby [I got

traumatized because I felt like they (seamen) looked down on me, on women, like I

can’t do it. And every time, they would just tell me I’m supposed to be at home taking

care of my child or making babies],” said the instructor, who asked to remain

anonymous. (Tangi,2018)

The study show the cases of discrimination happen on the employment of women in

the maritime-industry and on work place even there is a number of women proving

seafaring is not only for men.

BODY

According to Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) Deputy Administrator Nicasio

Conti, more than 810,481 seaman’s books have been released since 2010, 47,038 of

which were to women. But although many women are now part of the industry, society

still cannot deny that those who wish to join the maritime workforce encounter many

challenges.one of the biggest challenges for women in this field is combating

perceptions that such jobs are meant only for men and require a skill set more

associated with them. Many women fear to enter the man’s world as they believe that

they might face physical harassments and violence or severe verbal abuse as well as

low levels of support from co-workers.

According to ILO, in the cruise line sector, women represent 17-18% of the

workforce. Ninety four percent of women are employed on passenger ships (with 68%

on ferries and 26% on cruise ships) and 6% are employed on cargo vessels (i.e.,

container ships, oil tankers, etc.). As for jobs, there are women shipmasters and chief

engineers, as well as other officers. However, generally, women are working as hotel

staff on passenger ships. Of this latter group, 51.2% of women at sea come from

OECD countries, 23.6% from Eastern Europe, 9.8% from Latin America and Africa,

13.7% from the Far East, and 1.7% from south Asia and the Middle East. It also stated

that having women on board felt like more normal social environment and can reduce

the sense of isolation felt by many seafarers.(5)

Meanwhile, some challenges onboard affect seafarers. According to study of

Hebding (2013), one of the challenges is Harassment. This problem become as

challenge in between or among crew members or officers in the ship which is

necessary but for those women who have strong determination and those who know
how to carry their selves and it would not be affected. Sexual harassment is also

rampant when there are only very few females on board ships and the males do not

have anyone to deal with except them, (International Transport Workers Federation

2015). According to International Transport workers’ Federation (2015), Harassment

is more often on women, sea women make up only an estimated 2% (percent) of the

world's maritime workforce. It said women seafarers work mainly in the cruise and

ferries sector, often for Flags of Convenience (FOC) vessels. These are among the

worst paid and least protected of jobs at sea. Women also tend to be younger, and

fewer are officers than their male crew mates. Their low number means that women

can be subject to discrimination. The maritime unions are alert to these threat and aim

to protect the interests of women members who are about 23,000 worldwide.

In the same manner discrimination is one of the five degrees of negative action

that call to our attention to the wide range of activities that may be caused by injustice.

Discrimination involves action whereby members of a particular group are accorded

negative treatment on the basis of racial, integrity or religious background (Hebding,

2013). In other study focuses on women, women can face discrimination even getting

into seafaring work. Even once trained, they may have to face discrimination from ship

owners who won't employ women. Once employed, women seafarers may also face

lower pay even though they are doing the same work with other male colleagues.

Women may also be denied the facilities or equipment available to male workers,

which is a form of discrimination (International Transport workers’ Federation 2015).

According to Prof. Lucia Tangi of the University of the Philippines in Diliman,

Quezon City. “Last year, we deployed around 230,000 seafarers out of the 1.2 million

seafarers worldwide”, she said. Citing figures from the Philippine Overseas

Employment Administration (POEA), she stated that the number of Filipino women
seafarers rose by 2.7%, from 6,436 in 2006 to 6,619 in 2007.The number of their male

counterparts, meanwhile, dropped by 2.6% to 216,874 in 2007 from 222,575 the

previous year. Despite of the number she also said that there is discrimination in term

of salary,” Filipino women seafarers are paid lower than men. They are often assigned

jobs that are “non-professional and non-technical in nature”. She also found out that

women work longer hours despite the standards already set by the POEA in the

contract.

According to BIMCO and International Shipping Federation (ISF) 2010 study of

the worldwide supply and demand for seafarers, the current worldwide demand for

seafarers is 637,000 officers and 747,000 ratings that represent an overall shortage

of officers of about 2%. Shortages are more acute in specialized sectors such as

tankers and offshore support vessels and there is an underlying concern about the

current and future availability of senior officers. Unless measures are taken to ensure

a continued rapid growth in qualified seafarer numbers, especially for officers, existing

shortages are likely to intensify over the next decade. Women employment as seafarer

can resolve such problems. Today, in the digitalized and automated world, where

physical labor is mostly taken over by machines, on board ship an engineer woman

can work as better as a man. We can say even better, if we take into account the fact

that in the case of Constanta Maritime University, since 1995 when began to be

accepted female as students, the graduating class leaders were mostly female, both

in navigation, mechanical engineering or electrical engineering.(6)

Organizations like International Maritime Organization, International Labor

Organization, International Transport Workers Federation and other specific

institutions develop initiatives of women integration in the maritime sector and training
opportunities to match the specific needs and requirements of women (Bătrînca,

2012).

As living proof that this era women can compete in male-dominant work. The

first Filipina Captain Ms. Maria Kristina B. Javellana, She manage to become a captain

in an age of 32 on May 2017, despite of many challenges faces on board like stated

above she made it to the top. On her interview she said “My message to those

considering a career in the maritime industry is that they must be prepared not just

physically and intellectually, but emotionally and spiritually. Life at sea is not about the

money; it’s about the reality of working alone and being oceans apart from your loved

ones. Never use your gender as a form of excuse. Instead carry out your role as is

expected of you. Also, always think what kind of legacy you are going to leave behind

to your subordinates or the next generation to come”.

CONCLUSION

In reality, the discrimination in the work place cannot be hidden and it is

common. It destroys the dreams of every individual who needs a job. Millions of

workers around the world affected to it particularly to woman. It makes them fell

useless and incapable to every job that they want to work for the passion .Passion that

will change and make the life better at the right moment and time for them self and

family. In short, it could bring something not good to everyone. Despite to the effect of

the discrimination, it still can be avoided trough the help of creating a law. The

government should take an action to create a law about anti-discrimination to everyone

that those who discriminate the gender identity in the work place must be punishable.

It is the matter of fact that equality must be fell to every individual, to create unity and

strong correlation for the simultaneous lifting of each other. Especially on this type of

job, seafaring that woman discriminated upon applying job the employer intended not

to hire them because maybe because women is weaker than men or any other reason.

On the work place women experience sexual harassment, one is the facilities on board

women must have separated comfort room because women have a different need.

They also subjected to sexual abuse from the stated on the body, a cadet officer was

being treated differently by the captain but she manage to cope up it and make way to

prevent it.

The researchers view about this topic, it is true that women is subjected to

discrimination but the potential that woman can fill the need of the industry it is worth

on trying, but of course women must protected and gave their need their must a law

that the main content is the protection of women rights at sea. Also on the part of

women they must be physically and mentally ready on entering this type profession.
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