


































Education, Language and Sociology Research 

ISSN 2690-3644 (Print) ISSN 2690-3652 (Online) 

Vol. 3, No. 4, 2022 

www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/elsr 

51 
 

Original Paper 

Educating Future Female Seafarers in the Maritime College 

from the Perspective of Masculinity  

Yoriko Ishida1* 

1 Shipping Technology Department, National Institute of Technology, Oshima College, Japan 

 

Received: October 13, 2022    Accepted: October 31, 2022    Online Published: November 10, 2022 

doi:10.22158/elsr.v3n4p51           URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/elsr.v3n4p51 

 

Abstract 

Recently, the Maritime Bureau and Seafarers Policy Division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, 

Transport, and Tourism have been working to promote gender equality in the seafarer industry. Moreover, 

in 2017, the “Committee on the Promotion of Female Seafarers’ Activities from a Female Experts’ 

Perspective” was launched to discuss the issue. I participated in this committee as one of three academic 

experts. The committee has reported that the percentage of female seafarers in the Japanese shipping 

industry is only 2%, and less than 10% of shipping companies have shown a positive attitude toward the 

employment of female seafarers, indicating that the employment of female seafarers is not being 

promoted. The purpose of this study is to train female students in maritime colleges to be able to work 

as seafarers with leadership skills in the future using “masculinity” as a keyword. 

Keywords 

female seafarers, gender consciousness, career development, masculinity, diversity, maritime education, 

female students, female education, shipping industry 

 

1. Introduction 

The idea of stereotyping social roles based on gender persists, and gender is a major factor in employment. 

One of the most prominent examples of this is the seafaring industry. Recently, the Maritime Bureau and 

Seafarers Policy Division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism have been 

working to promote gender equality in the seafarer industry, and in 2017, the “Committee on the 

Promotion of Female Seafarers’ Activities from a Female Experts’ Perspective” was launched to discuss 

the issue. I participated in this committee as one of three academic experts (Note 1). The committee has 

reported that the percentage of female seafarers in the Japanese shipping industry is only 2%, and less 

than 10% of shipping companies have shown a positive attitude toward the employment of female 

seafarers, indicating that the employment of female seafarers is not being promoted. In contrast, nearly 



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70% of female students at maritime colleges have expressed their aspiration to work as seafarers; thus, 

the working environment should be improved, and female students employed by shipping companies 

should remain employed as “female seafarers” for a long time after marriage or childbirth. The purpose 

of this study is to train female students in maritime colleges to be able to work as seafarers with leadership 

skills in the future. This study also aims to activate women’s education in maritime colleges, promote the 

activities of female seafarers in the maritime industry, and achieve gender equality in the maritime 

industry. A unique aspect of this study focuses on “masculinity studies.” It demonstrates through the 

workings of female seafarers that seafaring should have “diversity” and emphasizes the “masculinity” in 

women to foster female seafarers who can play an active role in the shipping industry.  

 

2. Consideration of the Seafaring Using “Masculinities” as a Keyword 

Even though the promotion of women seafarers has been recognized in Japan a long time ago, whether 

gender equality has been sufficiently promoted in the shipping industry remains doubtful. Why has the 

promotion of gender equality in the shipping industry failed to produce any results? Why is this “simple 

truth” of “gender equality” so difficult to implement in the shipping industry? Why do women still remain 

a “subclass” in the seafarer industry? In fact, only a few shipping companies are still proactive about 

employing women, and the reasons for this factor may be partially due to problems with shipboard 

facilities and the high turnover rate of women on board. However, many companies do not recognize the 

value of hiring women because of the stereotype of seafarers as men. Why have such stereotypes existed? 

Why has such an ideology existed? The ideological problem, such as the renovation of on-board facilities, 

cannot be solved with funds; however, it requires a fundamental change in the structure of attitudes. 

Rather, they require a fundamental change in the structure of consciousness. 

I thought the keyword here was “masculinity,” since in previous eras, masculinity has never been as 

articulated as in the world of ships. The masculinity of men who sail the oceans, even among men, has 

been constructed in contrast to that of men who live on land, much less as the opposite of women. In 

other words, the masculinity of seafarers has been formed with “what women cannot experience” at its 

core, such as the unique life on board a ship. 

However, the latest masculinity studies have suggested that “masculinity” is not necessarily unitary. In 

the 1970s, masculinology began as part of the academic field of gender studies in the West. The leading 

researcher in this field is Robert W. Connell. For example, R. W. Connell, in addition to referring to the 

plurality of masculinities, focused on the power relations that arise from gender by defining hegemonic 

masculinity as a form of masculinity. Two agreements support Connell’s treatment of masculinity as a 

plural form. First, gender is constructed differently in different cultural and historical contexts. Based on 

his recent research results, Connell concluded that masculinity has no universal form. Therefore, 

masculinity should be recognized as a plural form, not a singular one (Note 2). Second, multiple forms 

of masculinity coexist, even within the same period and society (Note 3). As the interplay of gender, race, 

and class was discovered, the perception of multiple masculinities became widespread. For example, 



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regarding Connell’s theory of masculinity, the gender role division of labor, which is strongly rooted in 

society, is also clearly meaningless. This concept is due to the gender role division of labor, based on the 

assumption that masculinity and femininity are fixed, from which gender roles emerge. In other words, 

if one relies on Connell’s theory, which asserts the existence of diverse masculinities, gender roles based 

on gendered characteristics do not exist from the beginning. Nevertheless, in light of the fact that gender 

roles exist, they can be interpreted not as being based on gendered characteristics but on power. In other 

words, even if an individual appears to deviate from the established gender roles, the individual is not 

the abnormal one but rather the social customs that are too focused on the fixed gender that are abnormal. 

However, in reality, the fixed gender roles probably show that men and women are complementary to 

each other. In fact, this context is only because gender roles are imposed on them by power. This feature 

becomes apparent when women seek to enter male-dominated occupations, such as the seafaring industry. 

In other words, the Connell theory becomes highly convincing when women enter the seafaring industry. 

 

3. Educating Future Female Seafarers at Our Maritime College 

As mentioned in the previous section, if one considers that gender-related “character” is diverse, the 

conventional concepts of “masculinity” and “femininity” tackle a very skeptical connotation. For 

example, “masculinity” tends to be interpreted as synonymous with “labor;” however, essentially, 

“masculinity” and “labor” should be unrelated. These concepts are linked because the system of “gender 

role division of labor” has been established. In essence, “masculinity” has nothing to do with a system in 

which men do the work and women do the housework and childcare. 

In particular, the concept of “gender role division of labor” is likely to have a significant impact on the 

determination of whether women can work as seafarers, especially in occupations, such as “seafaring.” 

This occupation is a special type of work, that is, where the work period (embarkation period) and leave 

period rotate over a long period of time. 

Remember that “masculinity” and “femininity” are not monolithic, as described above; this study focused 

on the “diversity” of seafarers and enlightened female students in the school’s merchant marine 

department by investigating the activities of female seafarers in the present shipping industry. This 

section discusses the contents of the study. This study was conducted not only for female students but 

also for male students. It also aims to help students become seafarers with leadership skills in the future, 

regardless of gender, in the maritime industry, where gender stereotypes are strongly rooted. Through the 

exchange of information among female faculty members of maritime educational institutions, the 

following points were identified: 

・Seafarers should be flexible and open to the opinions of others. As in all professions, communication 

skills are especially important for seafarers, as they will be living together on board for extended periods 

of time. 



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・Unsurprisingly, female students lack arm strength; however, in recent years, arm strength is not so 

much required in both men and women on many types of vessels. Furthermore, some male students also 

lacked arm strength. 

・Seafarers should have the ability to operate the ship safely, which is completely independent of gender 

differences. Even if female students lack arm strength, they can still be active in other areas. The 

important thing is not to run away from something because you cannot do it from the beginning but to 

give it a try anyway. Experiencing everything, regardless of gender, and developing one’s own areas of 

expertise are important. This factor also applies to male students. If you can do that, even if you have no 

arm strength, you can work as a seafarer without any problems, even if you are a woman. 

・Few men and women work on board their entire lives. This is because work at sea and on land is 

alternately assigned at intervals of several years. A human-to-human relationship transpires when 

managing ships and seafarers on land. In other words, the ability to manage with an understanding of the 

situation on the ground should be cultivated. Regardless of gender, seafarers should acquire the ability to 

work not only as seafarers but also as land-based workers, that is, the ability to communicate and make 

good judgments. 

(1) Furthermore, interviews with current female seafarers and shipping companies revealed their true 

sentiments regarding hiring female seafarers and the current situation of female seafarers. While more 

and more shipping companies are intensifying their efforts to hire female seafarers in light of the growing 

awareness of gender equality in the shipping industry, most of them are initially clearly lost. After all, 

the crucial difference between men and women is that women are always faced with the problems of 

marriage and childbirth. The main reason is that the ideologies of “patriarchy” and “division of labor” 

persist. In societies where these ideologies have taken root, women who are responsible for domestic 

labor are restricted from economic activities outside the home, and men who are responsible for work 

outside the home are restricted from engaging in domestic labor. At present, an increasing number of 

men and women are becoming resistant to the division of gender-based roles and do not form the 

organization of a family. This activity has clearly shown that today, we must deconstruct the concept of 

the gender role division of labor. Of course, men and women who do not feel uncomfortable with the 

system of gender role division of labor can do so; however, this option should be a choice among various 

ways of life, and gender should not be the standard for all. 

(2) Finally, through this study, we enlightened female students on two major points. First, long-term 

planning is crucial for someone who wants to live as a seafarer. Women are likely to experience major 

life stage changes, such as marriage and childbirth; therefore, finding a job with a shipping company that 

will allow them to return to seafarers’ employment without leaving the register when such changes occur, 

rather than quitting seafarers’ employment, is important. Second, “seafarer-ness” is not synonymous with 

“masculinity” and “androgyny.” For female students who aspire to become seafarers, the stereotypes that 

they have had up to now should be dispelled, and they should ask themselves, “What is the masculinity 

that is unique to women?” Essentially, female students who want to become seafarers should form their 



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own images of what they want to be as seafarers from the time they are students. This key point is 

important when pursuing career development as a seafarer in the future. 

 

4. Conclusion 

For the same academic ability and skills, many shipping companies often pursue males, not because 

females are inferior but because the companies are not accustomed to hiring females and are anxious to 

do so. However, the survey in this activity revealed that, other than arm strength, gender differences are 

minimal between men and women in, for example, knowledge and judgment. Ultimately, this does not 

mean that women are less capable as seafarers; rather, women tend to be excluded by the stereotype of 

“seafarer = male.” 

Importantly, the “image of seafarers” as a group should be changed, and the qualities of individual 

seafarers should be considered. As a matter of fact, in the author’s sense, the expression “gender equality” 

is out of date. This is because neither male nor female gender characteristics are unique. June Singer 

described the state in which a person maintains a balance between masculinity and femininity as 

psychological bisexuality (androgyny) (Note 4). In other words, human existence is not monistic. 

Furthermore, this concept is consistent with Connell’s concept of masculinities. If this is the case, the 

notion that seafarers must be men, or that women are not suited for the job, is then rendered meaningless. 

The first priority in the seafarer industry should be to be a “seafarer” and to “look like a seafarer.” The 

qualities required of seafarers should be wide-ranging, including skills, judgment, and communication 

skills, all of which must be acquired through study and experience. Learning and experience are directly 

related to individual efforts and ambitions. In this regard, I wondered if the concept of male or female 

seafarers can be considered. The “new image of seafarers” can be described as “androgynous seafarers.” 

Gender has a multifaceted interpretation. The fact that “gender” has multiple interpretations means that 

those of us who specialize in gender studies have a responsibility to disseminate information. 

Importantly, seafarer culture and values unique to seafarers that have been created over the long history 

of seafarers should be remembered, and a “new seafarer culture” and a “new image of seafarers” that can 

promote the success of female seafarers from multiple perspectives should also be established. At the 

same time, we should educate students enrolled in maritime educational institutions to be more flexible 

in their gender awareness and to deepen their understanding of diversity. 

 

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Notes 

Note 1. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) established the “Study 

Group on Promoting Female Seafarers’ Activities from a Women’s Perspective” in 2009. 

The recommendations of the “Study Group on Women’s Perspective to Promote Women Seafarers” 

established by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in 2009 can be viewed at the 

following URL. It is clear on page 2 that seafarers with no experience of employing female seafarers are 

small companies. https://www.mlit.go.jp/common/001209058.pdf 

Note 2. R. W. Connell. The men and the Boys. California: University of California Press, 2000. 

Note 3. R.W. Connell. Masculinities. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1995. 



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Note 4. June Singer. Androgyny: Towards a New Theory of Sexuality. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. 

1977.  


