Committing to gender equality and the dignity of port work
Gender equality must be ensured at all levels of port enterprises, the inclusion of women in decision-making processes and the improvement of conditions for essential work.
There is growing evidence of the positive impact of gender equality on environmental, social and economic sustainability. It has been shown that a greater proportion of resources are invested in social spending and corruption is reduced when women have a voice and participate in public administration. [1] Companies with a proportional share of women in leadership positions have higher productivity. [2] It is therefore important to achieve gender balance at all levels of work and especially in management and decision-making positions.
Given these facts, we find ourselves in a port context where there are strong deficits in the actual implementation of the principle of gender equality. In none of the main port authorities in Spain does a woman hold the chair or general management. In Barcelona and Valencia, 25% and 30% of manager positions are women respectively, while in the port of Algeciras only 8% are women. Gender inequality has a high economic cost: it is estimated that if there were full equality, global GDP would grow by 26%. [3]
Dockworker unions are overwhelmingly men. So the Spanish Union, the English union and the Swedish union have made efforts to bring women in. In different ports, they might have 10 or 15% women. So still very, very low. And in some ports, in some countries, it's entirely male dominated.
Katy Fox-Hodess
Lecturer in Employment Relations and Research Development Director of the Centre for Decent Work at the University of Sheffield
The participation of women in technical occupations has improved in recent years, due to better training and higher skill levels. Although in Spain they represent 28.13% of the workforce, globally they represent only 1.2%, [4] showing that participation is unequal from country to country. Gender barriers are still a reality in port ecosystems, as their removal is not a priority action of the competent authorities.
Strategies need to be developed to reduce gender inequalities at all levels of work in the city-port ecosystem. For example, harnessing the power of automation, while challenging to maintain employment, can be key to bringing more women into technical positions. In addition, strategies of visibility and specialised training should be deepened to promote advancement and inclusion, including in leadership positions.
The more the job requires automation and higher skills, actually, the higher the possibility of women being able to engage in [port] jobs, [...] But on the other hand, the entry of women into the labour force often comes at the expense of massive reduction in the number of jobs in the first place. And also the removal of some categories of jobs altogether from operations.
Laleh Khalili
Professor of International Politics at Queen Mary University of London
Apart from the high-tech occupations, the city-port-territory ecosystem requires that all work, regardless of skill level, is decent. Given the vital importance of issues such as utilities, energy and distribution, it is necessary to socially and conditionally value the essential occupations that were previously considered low-skilled.
We really need to rethink what jobs we consider to be low-skilled. Because, as we have learned in the pandemic era, there are no low-skilled jobs, there are only low-paying jobs. […] We need to think about re-education for the public. And also a demand for an increase in the wages of those jobs that we consider low-skilled, which are actually only lower-paid.
Laleh Khalili
Professor of International Politics at Queen Mary University of London
The understanding of equality in the world of work must go beyond the gender barrier to become intersectional. This means addressing structural inequalities in access to decent working conditions for people who are systematically vulnerable (e.g. because of their social class or religion). This point is a key challenge for the conceptualisation of ports as a pole of inclusive prosperity.
Key Actions
- Promoting a gender-sensitive assessment of potentially emerging jobs.
- Developing and implementing gender equality plans.
- Diversifying jobs and services.
- Improving conditions for occupations considered low-skilled.
References
[1] Chattopadhyay, R. & Duflo E. (2004). Women as policy makers: evidence from a randomized policy experiment in India. Econometrica, 72(5), 1409-1443.
[2] Dezsö, C. L. & Ross, D.G. (2012) Does female representation in top management improve firm performance? A panel data investigation. Strategic Management JournalVolume 33, Issue 9 p. 1072-1089.
[3] Madgavkar, A., Ellingrud, K. & Krishna, M. (2016). The economic benefits of gender parity. Stanford Social Innovation Review. Disponible en línia a www.mckinsey.com/mgi/overview/in-the-news/the-economic-benefits-ofgender-parity
[4] International Maritime Organisation (2022). Women in Maritime. Disponible en línia a www.imo.org/en/OurWork/TechnicalCooperation/Pages/WomenInMaritime.aspx
Experts
Katy Fox-Hodess
Lecturer in Employment Relations and Research Development Director of the Centre for Decent Work at the University of Sheffield
Laleh Khalili
Professor of International Politics at Queen Mary University of London