Exploring Gender Bias in the Sri Lankan Maritime Industry

Abstract

A seafarer is someone who works on any type of marine vessel. The number of female seafarers is significantly lower than the number of male seafarers in the same ranks. To find the basis for the research, a pilot study has been conducted and it is discovered that there is a dilemma in men's perspectives on female participation in the field, further study is proposed to examine this dilemma and determine the reason why this exists among women's representation in the field. This study on Sri Lankan seafarers introduces for the first time an inquiry into the perceptions on the role of Sri Lankan women seafarers, this is a qualitative study with both male and female participants to determine perceptions of gender bias. The thematic analysis was utilized to analyses the data, which would be gathered after several interviews. The index is structured around two basic dimensions of bias, which are open bias and hidden bias. This concept paper would be the first index to capture the men’s perceptions of women in the context of the Sri Lankan maritime sector and offer a suitable approach and implications for future research would be discussed.