22-05-2025
Gender disparities in marine sector in focus at European Maritime Day event in Cork
Huge employment opportunities will arise from offshore energy projects coming on stream in Ireland but a gender disparity in the industry means many women will miss out.
The barriers to women entering the blue economy are being explored in Cork this week as part of European Maritime Day (EMD) 2025 in Cork city. Organised by the European Commission, with Cork City Council, the Government, and the Port of Cork, EMD 2025 is the flagship event for the European maritime community, bringing together up to 1,000 maritime professionals to discuss joint action on marine policy, fisheries, offshore renewables, and the future of the sustainable blue economy.
As part of the EMD 2025 event, a workshop is taking place on Thursday discussing the importance of gender balance for sustainable ocean governance and innovation in the blue economy. The WinBig project is a Europe-wide project with partners across Europe, including the University of Galway and the Marine Institute.
'We are trying to understand the barriers and issues when entering this industry in terms of employment because it is very much male-dominated," said Jenny O'Leary, who works in Strategic Planning and Development with the Marine Institute.
Ms O'Leary pointed out that the ocean economy is growing at a faster rate than the overall economy in Ireland, with offshore energy likely to lead to further growth. Most recent figures show Ireland's ocean economy employs almost 40,000 people directly and gross added value of €2.72bn.
One issue which has emerged is a lack of visibility for female marine 'champions' in Ireland and Europe, and a film documentary project being filmed in Cork is one of the initiatives addressing this. Female marine leaders in Ireland are being interviewed filming as part of the European documentary project Women from the Sea, co-ordinated by Raquel Clemente Martins from Portugal. The project aims to 'empower women in oceanic careers and inspire the next generation of ocean leaders to broaden perspectives and drives tangible change'. Three days of filming have taken place in Cork.
Meanwhile a free maritime-themed family festival running along Cork's city quays is taking place on Friday May 23 and Saturday May 24. Over €2m will be spent in Cork across the EMD events.
