Women in the maritime economy of the Baltic Sea region constitute 43% [REPORT]

Progress in promoting gender equality in the maritime industries in the Baltic Sea region has fallen short of expectations. Significant structural and perceptual barriers remain that hinder achieving parity – this is the main conclusion of the report from the WIN-BIG project, which was implemented in defined regions of the European Union.

In the countries around the Baltic Sea, “Women are clearly represented in service-oriented and academic sectors. However, they remain underrepresented in STEM-intensive (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and offshore industries, where advancement opportunities are often limited,” states the “WIN-BIG BALTIC SEA BASIN BLUE ECONOMY GENDER STATUS REPORT 2025.”

In our region, “Despite the generally positive perception of inclusiveness and leaders’ commitment to equality, many women still experience discrimination, harassment, and unequal access to opportunities and career paths.”

The WIN-BIG project aims to deepen understanding of existing gender-related issues. Particular attention was paid to the situation of women in new and technologically advanced industries. The study revealed a lack of significant statistics on gender-disaggregated analyses of the work environment. The study also noted the underrepresentation of women in certain sectors of the maritime economy.

Based on research on the current gender status in the Baltic Sea region, encompassing Germany, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, it was also concluded that women in the maritime industries face limited opportunities to pursue employment and realize their potential. Barriers were identified that hinder women from occupying positions consistent with their education. Despite their existing qualifications, their access to career advancement and management positions is limited.

Women in the Global Maritime Economy. Source: “IMO-WISTA Women in Maritime Survey.”

19% of Women in the Global Maritime Economy

The latest IMO and WISTA surveys show that women make up 19% of the workforce of national maritime authorities in member states and only 16% of the private sector workforce (excluding seafarers). At sea, women remain significantly underrepresented, accounting for just 1% of the total number of seafarers employed by the surveyed organizations, reports the “IMO-WISTA Women in Maritime Survey.”

“The latest dataset shows that women make up just under 19% of the total workforce surveyed, compared to 26% in the 2021 survey sample. The IMO-WISTA Women in Maritime Survey highlights persistent gender inequality in the maritime sector, prompting new calls for action,” the summary of the findings emphasizes.

By comparison, women currently make up 8.1% of the total Greek seafarer workforce. The report, prepared by the Greek Seafarers’ Pension Fund (NAT), emphasizes that “this significantly exceeds international standards (around 1.2% globally in 2021 and 2.4% in the EU in 2022).” A clear imbalance between fleet segments is evident. The majority of female seafarers (72% in 2025) are employed in passenger transport. “This indicates a strong link between female employment in maritime transport and tourism activities. The percentage of women among cadets and trainees is also increasing, reaching 12.7% in 2025,” the report’s authors note.

Women in the maritime economies of the Baltic Sea Region. Source: WIN-BIG BALTIC SEA BASIN BLUE ECONOMY GENDER STATUS REPORT 2025.

Women in the Baltic Sea Region

In the Baltic Sea Region, “women constitute 43% of the total maritime workforce in Germany, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. There is a significant share of women working in biotechnology, coastal tourism, public administration, and research and higher education. In these sectors, “women constitute 45-54% of the workforce.”

In the maritime economies of the Baltic Sea Region, the share of women falls below 29% in male-dominated sectors such as offshore energy, maritime transport, marine engineering, and shipbuilding. These results are consistent with the findings of researchers who conducted research for the World Economic Forum and published it in the “Global Gender Gap Report 2025.”

Based on global population studies, they noted that “gender parity remains unequal in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-intensive jobs and in management positions.” Analyzing these changes, they concluded that “Europe still needs almost eight decades to close this gap at the current pace.”

Contrasts in women’s employment in maritime economies in the Baltic Sea region. Source: WIN-BIG BALTIC SEA BASIN BLUE ECONOMY GENDER STATUS REPORT 2025.

Diverse Culture

Workplace culture in maritime industries, universities, and institutes varies significantly and is virtually independent of industry. Based on a diagnostic survey, WIN-BIG found that 69% of female respondents perceive their organizations as inclusive, and 66% believe management supports gender equality. “However, 26% of female respondents report experiencing direct gender discrimination, and 43% have experienced some form of harassment in their organizations.” This is more than twice the rate reported by male respondents.

The flexible work hours implemented in many companies and institutions do not always translate into a more comfortable work environment for women. Despite widespread access to flexible working arrangements, 8% of female respondents reported “difficulty achieving work-life balance, and 24% neither agreed nor disagreed with this statement.”

The majority of women (57%) employed in various positions in the Baltic countries stated that they had less access to career development opportunities in the maritime industry than men (57% of women compared to 68% of men). The majority (56%) felt they had fewer opportunities for advancement than men. Women also spoke positively about the availability of training. A higher percentage of women (82% of women compared to 67% of men) reported access to training and mentoring (73% of women compared to 65% of men).

– These results are consistent with global research on gender inequality, which shows that the underrepresentation of women in managerial positions results from systemic barriers to career development and equal pay. – According to the authors of “WIN-BIG BALTIC SEA BASIN BLUE ECONOMY GENDER STATUS REPORT 2025”, the results were obtained during research on the population of women operating in European maritime economies.

Employment of women in management and administrative positions in the global maritime economy. Source: “IMO-WISTA Women in Maritime Survey.”

Recruitment and Pay

Concerns about the recruitment process are raised among women. Differences in perception are evident between male and female respondents. A significant proportion of surveyed women (44% of women compared to 36% of men) believe that gender balance policies exist in the recruitment process. As many as 40% stated that their organizations lack a formal gender plan. Only 13% of men shared this view.

A full 66% of female respondents suspect or are unsure whether they earn less than their male colleagues performing the same work. An unusually high percentage, 80% of women, admit that attitudes towards gender equality have improved. However, another result tempers optimism. Just over half of women believe that achieving parity in their industries will take more than 10 years.

“While legislative progress and awareness have contributed to the development of a gender equality framework, persistent structural and cultural barriers—particularly in pay transparency, career progression, and representation in STEM—continue to slow down the achievement of true parity in employment,” the report’s authors note, noting the convergence of the results with the global picture of women’s situation found in the OECD (2025) and UN Women (2024) studies.

“Attracting, retaining, and promoting women—both onshore and offshore—remains a priority going forward. However, the new data also highlights how opportunities across the industry remain limited for women due to barriers such as gender stereotypes, workplace safety concerns, a lack of family-friendly policies, and the ongoing gender pay gap,” said Elpi Petraki, President of WISTA International, commenting on the results of the IMO-WISTA Women in Maritime Survey.

However, the lives of women in Greek maritime transport are not a bed of roses, as the Panhellenic Seamen’s Federation (PNO) points out. Celebrating International Women’s Day in the Maritime Sector, the PNO once again called for greater equality, integration, and protection for women throughout the maritime sector. The Federation has previously emphasized that the regulatory framework protecting women in maritime professions, especially pregnant women, remains largely inadequate. The PNO has even drafted a proposal to amend the Maritime Labor Act to protect female seafarers.

Compared to other regions of the world, the situation of women working in maritime companies and institutions in the Baltic Sea region does not significantly differ from data collected in other studies. Based on research conducted in the European Union, WIN-BIG estimates that 7,072,593 people work in this sector of the EU economy, 42% of whom are women. In the Baltic Sea Region, the blue economy sector employs a total of 1,449,910 people, of whom 619,711 (43%) are women.

WIN-BIG BALTIC SEA BASIN BLUE ECONOMY GENDER STATUS REPORT 2025, WIN-BIG D2.2, 84 pp., available at: https://winbigproject.eu/resources/publications

Research results on women’s employment in maritime economies of the Baltic Sea region compared to EU countries. Source: WIN-BIG BALTIC SEA BASIN BLUE ECONOMY GENDER STATUS REPORT 2025.