Calls Grow for More Women in Belize’s Maritime Industry

Women remain severely underrepresented in Belize’s maritime sector, despite the industry serving as a critical pillar of both national and global trade.  As the world prepares to observe the International Day for Women in Maritime on May 18, advocates are drawing attention to the gender imbalance that continues to define the field. Maritime shipping, often described as the invisible backbone of global commerce, remains one of the most male-dominated industries, even as women have long played a role in its history.  Technical Officer at the International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize, Darlin Gaitan, says that reality must change if the sector is to reflect the diversity of today’s workforce.  According to Gaitan, while there has been some progress in increasing female participation at entry levels, far more needs to be done to ensure women are represented across all tiers of the industry, including leadership and decision-making roles.

“We have realized that the industry is very male dominated, it has been historically very male dominated. So if you look at the figures again you will see only 1% of sea farers, persons who work on ships, are female. So just 1%. 24% of the workforce, shoreside in terms of ship registration, in terms of port management, we only have 24% of women shoreside being represented in the sector so there is obviously a problem. This is why the IMO started that work. Well it’s a dynamic sector as I said. It has very cross cutting issues so if you’re interested in trade you have a space here, if you’re interested in law you have maritime law here. If you’re interested in the environment you have the protection of the marine environment which is a very broad responsibility of the IMO and also the regulators in Belize as well. If you’re interested about workers, workers rights, there is also space for you here. So it’s very encompassing. If you’re interested in climate change for instance there is a room for here you as well because there is a lot of work towards greening the sector as well. If you’re interested in technology I know the future is technology , Ai and internet of things and big data that is also happening within the sector. So you have to look beyond the traditional roles and there is an industry out there that is out of sight, out of mind but it provides so much to your country and that connection you have with global trade is through shipping. So I think it’s a very dynamic and interesting sector for me.”