Perception of Maritime Students on the Role of Women in Reducing Gender Gap in Seafaring Industry

The study aimed to determine the perceptions of the Maritime students on the role of women in reducing the gender gap in the seafaring industry. Thus, objectives are to determine the challenges, to investigate the reasons, and to examine the abilities of women in the maritime industry, which the purpose of the researcher is to empower the role of women in reducing the gender gap in seafaring industries. As the researcher believes also that it will be encountered by women and reflects working progress and to their career at sea. To improve the main goal of the study, the researchers utilized the quantitative-descriptive method of research. This method was used because of its appropriateness to the nature of the study, perceptions of Maritime students on the role of women in reducing the gender gap in the seafaring industry, which involved data gathering, tabulation of the data gathered, interpretation of the meaning of significance of what will be described, and analyze the findings of the study. In the methods of this study, it used a three (3) part structured type questionnaire, wherein it examined the respondents' credibility to impart their schema about the problem of the study. This questionnaire was the instrument that was sent via online form or called a Google form. As the researchers' target respondents are the students of the maritime institution, this study has a significant impact assumes with the assistance of various organizations aimed for rights at educating women in different ways to improve their capacity and personality to function on the ship. The progress of the research creates a positive factor to strengthen the perceptions of different genders especially the maritime students. The results were collated and analyzed quantitatively. The findings reveal that the most significant reasons imbalance of women due to male domination occupation, preparations of female maritime students in seafaring career is to providing standard training that will help to strengthen the physical and mental ability of women, and factors affecting the women's perceptions on their career at sea in the future due to isolation and loneliness. Moreover, the percentage of female students enrolled in seafaring programs at the Maritime institutions and universities is insignificant. The concluding part makes some suggestions as to how more women from Maritime Institutions can be empowered to choose seafaring careers as well as a suggestion for further research.