Recent Publications

Taiwan Economic Research Monthly Gender and the Ocean: Drawing Insights from Canadian Practices ‧ Efforts to achieve gender equality in maritime domains have been ongoing through international organizations and agreements. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) launched a gender program in 1988 to address gender disparities, especially when few maritime training institutions admitted women. The IMO's "Women in the Maritime Sector Project" aimed to rectify this. In 2006, the International Labour Organization adopted the Maritime Labour Convention, which eliminated gender-biased terms and assumptions that all seafarers were male, explicitly prohibiting gender discrimination and boosting female hiring. However, despite global advocacy and measures, women's practical advancement and decision-making power in maritime affairs remains limited. Canada, a leader in women-related matters, has been a member of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) since 2017. The 2020 World Bank report identified eight countries, including Canada, where women have equal rights. Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) oversees the marine sector, safeguarding waters and resources while providing safe and efficient maritime services. To enhance gender equality, DFO established a Gender Equality Expert Panel in 2018, driving initiatives to foster a more diverse, inclusive, and respectful maritime work environment through seminars and workshops.