Mental Health Support Solutions (MHSS), part of OneCare Group, is calling on the shipping industry to move beyond awareness campaigns and address the everyday conditions driving women out of maritime careers.
According to MHSS, many female seafarers are living in a constant state of psychological vigilance alongside the normal pressures of life at sea, including fatigue, isolation, long contracts and separation from family. This creates a unique form of burnout among women at sea, driven not only by workload, but by the pressure of continuously justifying their place within the industry.
MHSS is calling for bullying and harassment to be treated as safety issues rather than solely HR matters, while also urging companies to improve reporting systems, provide practical response training for senior leaders, and ensure vessels are properly designed and equipped for mixed crews.
Manager of Clinical Training at MHSS Guven Kale, explained: “The most common issue we are seeing is not simply anxiety or low mood. Most women feel they must constantly prove they belong, carefully manage how interactions are perceived, and assess whether they are safe in certain environments. That level of emotional alertness is exhausting.
“The uncomfortable truth is that many women are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for normal working conditions that were designed with them in mind. Privacy, safe reporting, properly fitting PPE, access to sanitary products, safe cabin arrangements, respectful leadership, and protection from retaliation are not women’s extras They are basic occupational safety.”
Last year, 14 out of 33 bullying and harassment calls received by MHSS came from women, representing around 42%. So far this year, four out of 13 calls have come from female seafarers. But MHSS warns against interpreting lower complaint figures as proof conditions are improving. It believes the figures remain too small to indicate a clear trend but show the issue persists.
Pointing to wider industry findings from the WISTA, Anglo-Eastern, ISWAN and ICS Gender Diversity Report, MHSS still believes the problems persist. With 60% of female seafarers surveyed experiencing gender-based discrimination onboard, while 29% reporting bullying or harassment.
MHSS believes the industry must stop treating recruitment as the primary measure of progress and focus instead on retention, safety and trust.
Ms Guven added: “Recruitment is only the beginning. Retention is the real test. If a woman’s first experiences at sea leaves her feeling unsafe, unsupported or isolated, she will not stay. We are seeing more and more that these women just simply quietly leave.”
“Women don’t need the industry to celebrate them one day a year while ignoring the conditions that make them leave. While international days are important to celebrate females and shine a spotlight on the challenges they have to deal with, women also need to see protection, accountability, dignity and practical support every day. They are not asking for a softer sea, they are asking for a safer one.”
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