By Isabella A. Jones* LLB(Hons), Post Dip (First), LL.M. LL.M(Dist.), Technical Assistant
Seafarers & Manning Department, The Bahamas Maritime Authority
Marginalisation, its impact on mental health and well-being, and the need for systemic change
International Day for Women in Maritime has led me to reflect on women’s place in the maritime industry and on how much has truly changed beyond the celebrations, congratulations, and pink roses. Behind the image of open doors and equal opportunity, the reality is often quite different: many doors remain closed, and meaningful progress is still limited. In some workplaces, informal “boys’ club” networks continue to shape access to opportunity and influence, creating invisible barriers that women must continually navigate. These networks often determine who gets opportunities, whose voices are heard, who is promoted, and who holds informal power.
This year, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) asked, “Why the gender gap?” It is a striking question given the strong evidence that investing in women benefits communities, companies, and entire countries. Research shows that companies with more women in leadership perform better than those with fewer, as noted in The Bottom Line: Corporate Performance and Women’s Representation on Boards. Studies also suggest that peace agreements involving women are more durable, and parliaments with greater female representation are more likely to pass legislation on health, education, anti-discrimination, and child support. The Women in the Workplace 2025 report from McKinsey & Company notes that most companies say diversity remains a high priority, and more than eight in ten still express commitment to inclusion. However, far fewer prioritise women’s advancement: only about half of surveyed companies consider women’s career progression a high priority, and even fewer prioritise the advancement of women of colour. As Harvard Business Review observed in 2019, women in male-dominated industries are often treated as outsiders, pressured to prove themselves, and forced to fight to have their voices heard through both overt discrimination and subtler forms of bias.
Although the case for advancing women is well established, many women are still marginalised by men in leadership positions. This can take many forms, including micromanagement, misogyny, criticism, exclusion from meetings and decision-making, or being assigned low-level tasks despite strong qualifications, certifications, and experience. Their competence is often questioned or ignored, and their skills and training remain underused. These patterns further demonstrate the persistence of the “boys’ club” and the structures that sustain male dominance. Research from the University at Albany, State University of New York, in “When Gender Shapes the Workplace: What Happens to Women in Male-Dominated Environments,” shows that despite progress toward gender equality, many occupations remain sharply divided by gender. To examine what happens when women enter fields long dominated by men, the Center for Women in Government & Civil Society studied 9,000 employees in “The Impact of Gender Occupational Domination on Perceptions of Work Environment and Work-Related Outcomes.” The study found that gender imbalance shapes perceptions of leadership, fairness, and workplace engagement. Occupational domination refers to professions in which one gender makes up more than two-thirds of the workforce. The maritime industry clearly reflects this pattern: the latest IMO-WISTA Women in Maritime Survey 2024 found that women account for just 1% of seafarers employed by surveyed organisations and a little over 16% of the surveyed maritime workforce excluding seafarers. Progress remains far too slow, and systemic change is still urgently needed.
As of 2026, women still make up only 1% of seafarers. This highlights the need for sustained, collective action to improve gender diversity in maritime. The McKinsey & Company report found that structural barriers continue to limit women’s advancement. Women receive less career support and fewer opportunities to progress, even though they are just as committed to their careers as men. Ambition for senior roles is closely linked to support: when women and men receive comparable guidance from managers and senior colleagues, they are equally motivated to seek promotion at every level. Yet the data show that women, especially at entry and senior levels, still receive less or no support than men. Women in male-dominated environments reported significantly more negative views of leadership and lower perceptions of fairness in how effort and rewards were distributed. They also often felt excluded from information networks and support systems and saw workplace decisions as less transparent and equitable. This reinforces long-standing research showing that masculine work cultures can marginalise women by limiting access to mentoring and recognition. Yet women in male-dominated roles also reported higher levels of organizational commitment and work engagement than men and women in gender-balanced or female-dominated environments. Dina Refki suggests this may be a coping mechanism, an effort to prove their value and counter stereotypes. I agree that women often rely on many coping strategies, including further educational advancement. Over time, however, these systemic pressures can take a serious toll on mental and physical health and overall well-being.
Thus, despite higher levels of organizational commitment and work engagement, these roles often carry greater status or economic reward, even in the face of cultural barriers. However, this compensatory engagement may come at a cost, increasing the risk of stress, burnout, and turnover over time. These findings challenge the simplistic assumption that women in male-dominated environments are disengaged or dissatisfied. Instead, their experiences reflect a paradox of strong dedication alongside deep frustration, harassment, bullying, and inappropriate behaviour. I strongly agree that stress and burnout can have a severely damaging effect on mental and physical well-being. Women in male-dominated environments face two related challenges: demographic dissimilarity, where being one of few women can intensify isolation and feelings of “otherness,” and traditional masculine work cultures, which often reward aggression, dominance, and competition over collaboration and empathy.
What is the impact of these challenges? Their effect on mental health is undeniable. Constant exposure to gender bias and workplace inequity can lead to stress, trauma, burnout, and feelings of invisibility. So how can women navigate this discrimination while protecting their mental health? Trauma can cause people to organise their lives as though the threat were still present, with each new experience shaped by the past. Even after the original event has passed, the brain may continue to signal the body to run, hide, or fight. In response to perceived danger, the body releases stress hormones to fuel resistance and escape, while both mind and body search for safety. In The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk explains that trauma can have devastating effects on sufferers, their families, and future generations. I agree, particularly because trauma can also affect the voice and, in severe cases, lead to complete voice loss that may require therapy. Dr Fiona Gilles has examined in detail how stress, trauma, and post-traumatic stress disorder affect the body, noting that the voice box is a complex communication tool that expresses emotion. When people feel unable to speak up for themselves or are repeatedly ignored, they may experience tightness in the throat and lose their voice. Voice quality is closely affected by stress because of the strong somatic link between voice and emotion. For that reason, support from a psychotherapist to address the underlying trauma and the stress responses contributing to voice loss is highly recommended and can be an essential part of healing and recovery. Navigating male-dominated environments while coping with trauma therefore requires exceptional resilience.
Gender equality and women’s empowerment are widely discussed, but the real question is what societies are doing in practice. UN Women continues to track global progress in reducing inequality, poverty, and violence against women and girls, showing that while some gains have been made, major gaps remain. Women’s participation in the economy is essential to productivity and inclusive growth. The Women, Business and the Law 2026 report found that legal and policy frameworks shape women’s economic opportunities across 190 economies and that closing gender gaps in employment and entrepreneurship could raise global GDP by more than 20%. To turn discussion into action, gender mainstreaming must be part of the solution. This globally recognised approach, first advanced at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, is now supported in the maritime sector by the Handbook on Gender Mainstreaming in the Maritime Sector, authored by Professor Momoko Kitada and published by the World Maritime University with the International Maritime Organization.
In addition to gender mainstreaming, industrial-organizational psychology may offer a useful framework. Often called I/O psychology, it is the scientific study of human behaviour in workplaces and organisations. It applies principles of individual, group, and organisational behaviour to workplace challenges. The field covers areas such as organisational development, career development, decision-making, human performance, job analysis, assessment, training, motivation, reward systems, and quality of working life, while also addressing ethical, legal, and regulatory issues related to employment. In practice, I/O psychology helps organisations improve recruitment, selection, placement, performance measurement, development, and workplace design. Its insights are relevant across business, industry, labour, the public and non-profit sectors, academia, community organisations, and health settings.
Following Mental Health Awareness Month, it would be remiss not to mention how women can navigate male-dominated environments while waiting for systemic change. Psychotherapist Dr Renata Gorsha recommends self-care. But what is self-care? It is one of the most powerful forms of self-respect. It is not always soft, comfortable, or visible to others. Sometimes, self-care means finding the quiet strength to step away from people, places, and situations that slowly diminish you. It means recognising that you were never meant to survive in environments filled with constant negativity, manipulation, dishonesty, chaos, or emotional exhaustion. Some spaces help you grow; others erode your purpose and peace. Never apologise for choosing environments that nourish you, and never underestimate how much your life can change when you stop investing your energy where it was never meant to thrive.
Dr Gorska also recommends building a strong support network. Family, mentors, and others who understand these challenges can provide validation, encouragement, and a safe space to express frustration. Rather than dismissing concerns, a supportive community can offer practical solutions, empowerment, and solidarity. Self-care may also mean quietly removing yourself from people, places, or situations that feel misaligned, inauthentic, suspicious, or unsafe. Make a deliberate commitment to protecting your mental, physical, and emotional well-being.
Systemic change remains urgently necessary. But who is responsible for driving it: the United Nations, sovereign states, or the male-dominated maritime industry itself? In A Just Transition for Female Seafarers: Ensuring Gender Equality in the Sustainable Maritime Industry, Danisa Ama Buakah of World Maritime University argues that maritime transport and climate action require women’s full participation. Women are vital agents of change, bringing diverse perspectives and experiences to transport policy and practice. Empowering women enables them to set goals, build skills, solve problems, and act with greater independence in a modern maritime sector. The United Nations and other global stakeholders have worked for decades to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment, from the UN Decade for Women (1976–1985) to the Beijing Conference and today’s Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 5. Responsibility for change therefore belongs to all of us. Even incremental progress is still progress. Let us be the change we want to see in the world.
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt
*Isabella A. Jones
