This year’s International Day for Women in Maritime (#WomenInMaritimeDay)–celebrated annually on May 18–will spotlight pathways for women’s leadership, participation and impact in the global ocean economy. Since May 18 falls on a Sunday in 2025, the International Maritime Organization is holding pertinent events on Friday, May 16.
Shipping carries more than 80% of global trade in goods and is essential to everyone on the planet. However, women make up less than 20% of the maritime workforce onshore, with significantly lower participation at sea.
To discuss how closing this gap could unlock growth and opportunities across the industry, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is hosting a symposium in London on Friday, May 16 with the theme of “An Ocean of Opportunities for Women.”
- Full event details and agenda: An Ocean of Opportunities for Women Symposium
The event will bring together leading ocean and maritime figures from around the world to share insights and solutions that can shape policies and actions to promote women’s participation.
Ahead of the symposium, which will be livestreamed on IMO’s Youtube Channel, IMO Secretary-General Mr. Arsenio Dominguez said:
“Our theme this year recognizes the vast potential . . . across the many different areas of work in the maritime world, from deck to boardroom, from ocean scientist to maritime administrator.”
He emphasized that “education, mentorship, policy and culture will bring down the barriers that have hindered progress.”
New data on women in maritime
The findings of the 2024 IMO-WISTA Women in Maritime Survey will be announced during the event. The survey report includes key baseline data about women’s participation in the maritime and ocean fields, along with recommendations for action.
The survey builds on the first report published in 2022, which indicated significant disparities between men and women in all levels of the maritime workforce, with great variations among individual sub-sectors.
The report is published here.
The report presents data on the proportion and distribution of women working in the maritime sector from data gathered from IMO Member States and the private sector.
Key findings include:
- The data covers a total of 176,820 women working in maritime across the public and private sectors in 2024 – an increase from 151,979 in 2021.
- Despite growth in the number of women covered by the survey, women account for just under 19% of the total workforce sampled, compared to a share of 26% in the catchment group reported in 2021.
- Women account for 19% of the workforce of national maritime authorities in Member States, and only 16% of the surveyed private sector workforce (excluding seafarers).
- At sea, women remain vastly underrepresented, accounting for just 1% of the total number of seafarers employed by surveyed organisations.
The report goes beyond the numbers, offering actionable recommendations to help governments and industry leaders drive progress. These include:
- Enhancing recruitment and retention strategies
- Expanding mentorship and leadership development programs
- Strengthening policy implementation
- Ensuring safe, inclusive, and supportive work environments