Gender mainstreaming in maritime education and training: strategies and proposals for an effective implementation
(English) In the area of Maritime Education and Training (MET), the existing gender gap constitutes a widespread cause of concern. Despite a significant increase in the numbers of female students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) degrees in recent decades, the gender imbalance in M...
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| Tipo de recurso: | tesis doctoral |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2023 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/411629 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/411629 https://dx.doi.org/10.5821/dissertation-2117-411629 |
| Access Level: | acceso embargado |
| Palabra clave: | Maritime Education and Training (MET) Gender mainstreaming Gender equality Diversity and inclusion Gender legislation in MET The gender perspective in higher education teaching Feminist pedagogies Collaborative and participative learning methodologies Gender mainstreaming strategies, practices and interventions Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Nàutica |
| Sumario: | (English) In the area of Maritime Education and Training (MET), the existing gender gap constitutes a widespread cause of concern. Despite a significant increase in the numbers of female students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) degrees in recent decades, the gender imbalance in MET continues to persist. This problem is transferred to the shipping industry where the gender gap with respect to jobs and managerial positions is further aggravated due to unfavorable career conditions for women, resulting in poor recruitment and retention of female professionals. In this context, gender mainstreaming constitutes an opportunity to address the severe gender gap in MET as well as the discrimination and difficulties confronted by women in this area of knowledge. In the light of this, the present thesis work examines the current situation in the area of MET, with respect to female student figures, gender policies and programmes to obtain a better picture to put forward proposals for advancement towards gender equality. With a focus on education, this research work approaches the problem from various perspectives and presents different schemes and strategies to address the problem more efficiently. In this field of studies, the male perspective is often presented as neutral and universal, and gender stereotypes and biases are quite common. In addition, there is lack of women role models to promote the discipline and the profession among younger women. Hence, the MET classroom constitutes an ideal setting to address actions to attempt a deeper transformation of the present gender inequality. The case study of Barcelona School of Nautical Studies illustrates a practical gender mainstreaming policy implementation. The requirement of a public governance body responsible for the quality assurance of university studies motivates the incorporation of the gender perspective in the degrees of the area of nautical, marine and naval engineering. The strategies and proposals presented in this work aid towards its implementation, which is subsequently assessed to determine its impact. The results obtained show a high degree of satisfaction from the participants, both teaching staff and students, concerning the interventions aimed at fostering a more inclusive learning environment. The findings also report an increased gender awareness, an improved engagement and motivation in the classroom, and progress towards humanising the discipline by training future professionals with a more useful perspective for society. This research thesis concludes that the case study of Barcelona School of Nautical Studies constitutes an important achievement contributing to the still emerging body of research about gender mainstreaming practices and interventions in the higher education area of MET. To assist MET institutions in this task, the design and implementation of gender equality policies pursuing the transformation of the area becomes a necessary undertaking. In relation to this, the case study described also serves to demonstrate how MET institutions may benefit from alternative bottom-up methodologies for the implementation of gender equality legislation by fostering knowledge-based actions at lower levels and encouraging practitioners to actively participate in the implementation of such policies. Thus, in spite of possible shortcomings and room for improvement, this research reveals promising opportunities for advancement and transformation in the area of MET with beneficial effects for the surrounding profession and, more broadly, society in general. |
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