Since its start, the Merchant Navy has been a male-dominated industry. In the past few decades, the marine sector has welcomed more women. According to information provided by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), India has 1% of the world’s female sailors or around 2% overall. But over time, the number of jobs available to women in the maritime sector has dramatically expanded. A recent poll estimates that there are 24,059 women seafarers working onboard, a 45.8% increase over the data from 2015.
The chances and potential for women in the merchant fleet are enhanced if they pursue their maritime studies course from Chitkara University.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has made a concerted effort recently to boost the representation of women in the shipping sector. The subject for The Maritime Day in 2019 was “Empowering Women in the Maritime Community.” The 18th of May will be recognised as “International Day for Women” in the maritime industry, according to a resolution passed by the IMO Assembly.
To considerably raise the percentage of women working in the marine industry, however, there is still a lot of work to be done, which can be bridged by pursuing B.Sc Maritime Studies.
Although the IMO’s gender program was established in 1988, the shipping industry has only recently come to terms with the stark gender gap in the maritime industry. The topic of expanding the number of women in the Merchant Navy has been the subject of many in-depth discussions in recent years.
In order to boost the representation of women in this industry, several above-average shipping corporations are aggressively hiring women to serve aboard their ships.
On board, women have the same chances as males. The Merchant Navy has three departments:
- Saloon Department
- Deck Department
- Engine Department
Under the direction of the captain or master, certified deck officers run the onboard deck department. The safe navigation of the ship is essentially the responsibility of the deck officers. However, they are also responsible for managing the nautical cargo on board, overseeing the upkeep of the top hull and deck, preserving the stability of the ship, including the loading and unloading of ballast water, performing mooring operations, and anchoring the ship.
There are two options for officers to join the deck department:
- Diploma in Nautical Science Leading to BSc degree
- BSc in Nautical Science
The operation, maintenance, and repair of engines, boilers, pumps, generators, and other equipment necessary for the vessel’s safe operation are handled by qualified engineers who oversee the engine department onboard. The Chief Engineer, who is in charge of the engine department, is responsible for supervising these engineers.
However, the majority of female candidates for the merchant navy prefer the deck division over the engine division. The main justification for this choice is because ladies think becoming a deck officer is simpler than being an engineer. Due to the fact that they spend the most of their time in air-conditioned cargo control rooms or bridges, deck officers have more of a “White Collar Job.” Engineers, on the other hand, must spend the entire day working in warm engine rooms with temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius.
There are three methods to join the engineering staff of a ship:
- B.Tech/B.E. in Marine Engineering
- Graduate Marine Engineering
- Diploma in Marine Engineering
The saloon department is responsible for the ship’s crew’s meals, as well as for maintaining and cleaning the galley, mess hall, and accommodation decks. The Saloon department does not have any officers, and while women are welcome to join if they so choose, it is not recommended. The majority of shipping businesses are still a little cautious to hire women in the crew department, therefore there are less work chances for women here than in other areas. However, if you’re still keen to work in this division, you can pursue GP Rating.
Girls may first feel a little out of the loop on a ship because the majority of the crew members are men, but once they get used to the customs and culture of working aboard a ship, nothing can stop them because we all know how psychologically strong women can be.
It is a work that demands mental fortitude because the employee must remain away from home comforts for a period of 6 to 9 months. Our society’s conventional social conventions and the notion that females are sensitive are two significant reasons why girls are prohibited from joining the merchant marine.
The employment gap between men and women in the maritime sector is still enormous, despite all the recent efforts made by the IMO and the national regulatory bodies of various nations. But in the present environment, a lot of shipping firms are actively pursuing programs to increase the proportion of women in their workforce, both on their fleet and in their shore-based offices. A lot of young girls who want to sail the high seas now look up to accomplished female marine engineers and deck officers as role models.
