Despite all the positive changes in terms of shipping’s gender equality, the same old prejudices still crop up, according to Columbia Group’s managing director of sustainability, diversity & inclusion, Claudia Paschkewitz.
The experienced German executive is helping launch a mentor scheme so that the giant ship manager’s shore-based female staff can help bring on new cadets.
But the challenge can often be securing that debut role in the sector in the first place.
“I just spoke to one of our female second officers,” Paschkewitz told TradeWinds. “She started as a cadet with us and she reported that she had applied for a cadetship with 50 different companies. Fifty!
“She received many, many refusals. Some companies did not reply at all. Some even discriminated against her before even receiving her CV. So she called them and asked if they offered a cadetship and they asked, ‘Are you calling for your boyfriend?’ It’s unbelievable.”
Professional response
But Paschkewitz is proud to say Columbia replied in a professional way and there was no discrimination at all.
“My message to the companies that rejected her?” she asked. “You have rejected a wonderful, very talented, very eager person who is on her way to the top. And I’m happy to have such a great colleague on board.”
Paschkewitz believes the world must move away from the idea of certain jobs being seen as typically male and others as typically female.
“Once we have put down the first barriers and we have more women in shipping at shore and at sea, and we see more women in leadership positions, that’s more role models,” she told TradeWinds. “It will become definitely easier.”
Positive changes
Paschkewitz has seen many positive changes in her more than three decades in shipping.
“When I started, I didn’t see any women in leadership positions, but I didn’t even notice, because for me it was absolutely normal,” she said.
“So this awareness was missing.”
But awareness has grown.
“And with this, we have of course achieved already a big step, but now we have to move on further steps,” she said.
“I’m very excited, I have to say, because I love to support others and I hope it will work out.”
