|
By William Alzona, Ofw Journalism Consortium
Writer
WOMEN sailors are riding the waves. And they contend with
exploitation, discrimination and sexual harassment at sea.
This is the conclusion of a pioneering study on
women seafarers made by Professor Lucia Palpal-latoc Tangi of the
University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication.
“The research depicts the systematic
discrimination of women. Since women are assigned to positions or
jobs which are reflective or related to their reproductive and
nurturing roles, they tend to receive lower pay,” she points out.
The Philippine Overseas Employment
Administration (POEA) puts the number of Filipinas at sea at 6,619
in 2007—a miniscule num-ber in contrast to about 216,874 Filipino
seafarers.
But they bear the brunt of discrimination that
begins during recruitment when women are employed based on their
youthfulness and beauty, and not necessarily on their skills.
“Experience is a plus but not imperative
especially when the applicants have a pleasing personality,” Tangi
said.
First-time applicants should not be over 32
years old and should stand 5’2” for those who wish to work in
the utility department; waitresses and those working the bar should
be at least 2 inches taller.
Women tend to receive lower pay. Jobs assigned
to women are also considered “nonprofessional” and unskilled and
the salaries are not covered by the minimum wage set by the
International Labor Organization.
The study discovered that women seafarers work
on the average between 10 to 14 hours a day. Work hours often depend
on the type of jobs. Those in utility for instance clean 16 to 18
cabins a day, which takes about 9 to 10 hours to complete.
The working hours of women seafarers are
definitely long compared to the standard set by Philippine
authorities.
Getting pregnant on board is one of the greatest
fears of women seafarers. Once confirmed by the doctor on board, a
woman’s contract is automatically terminated.
The shipping company pays for her return ticket
and she gets a two-month salary. This maternity benefit is granted
to seafarers who belong to unions affiliated with the International
Transport Workers Federation.
Apples and oranges
“Pinays On Board: an Exploratory Study on the
Working Conditions of Filipino Women Seafarers,” has rattled the
male-dominated seafaring industry.
Its conclusions are based on in-depth interviews
with a dozen women seafarers, most of them working as bar
waitresses, chamber maids and massage therapists on passenger and
cruise liners.
Eleven of the 12 Filipina seafarers Tangi
interviewed worked on board luxury liners and only one worked on an
oil tanker.
Tangi categorized those working in cruise liners
and a freighter vessel as both seafarers, but they are
differentiated when they go on board as the latter type of vessel
requires highly skilled, more physically enduring jobs.
A seafarer refers to any person who is employed
or engaged in any activity on board a seagoing ship navigating
foreign seas other than a government ship used for military or
noncom-mercial purposes.
Waitresses and massage therapists are thus
considered seafarers, Tangi pointed out.
The study makes apples-and-oranges comparisons.
For one, there is discrimination in the salary of men and women
seafarers.
The women she interviewed said they only earn
between $50 (for a massage therapist) and $1,000 a month as basic
salary. But they can earn from $2,000 to $4,500 a month from tips
alone.
Tangi then compared the salary of male
seafarers, which she said are more into professional, technical and
labor-intensive jobs.
A ship captain and the ship engineer, depending
on the type of vessel, can both earn between $5,200 to $10,000 a
month, while the other officers can earn about $2,400 to $8,400 a
month.
“Women seafarers manage to augment their
income through tips and through part-time jobs such as doing the
laundry and cleaning the cabins of Western crew members,” Tangi
said.
She says the Philippines, as a signatory to the
United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women, has the duty to ensure that women’s
rights are protected even in the maritime industry.
“We are not asking for special treatment for
women. We are asking that women should be given an equal opportunity
to integrate and excel in a field that they choose. Women’s rights
are inalienable rights and should therefore be upheld and protected
at all times.”
|
