Gov’t agency discloses gender equity data in the Brazilian waterway sector

Women hold slightly more than 17% of the total share of employment positions in the Brazilian waterway sector. This data, released on Tuesday (21), was found by the National Waterway Transportation Agency (ANTAQ) during an investigation into gender equity in the sector.

The survey is the first of the agency’s actions prescribed in a Protocol of Intent between Antaq and the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA-Brazil) signed in March 2022, which seeks to promote gender equality in the navigation market.

The purpose of collecting and publishing the results is to deepen the knowledge of the waterway sector about its workers. This information also ought to be used as a baseline by companies in the industry to improve policies aimed at gender equality.

A total of 302 companies participated in the investigation. The following business types were part of the research: Authorized Terminals; Leased Terminals; Port Authorities; Brazilian shipping companies (EBN), and the Labor Management Agency (OGMO).

Global tendency

According to UNCTAD data, women occupy 18% of jobs in the global port sector. ​There is a sharp drop in the female participation rate in cargo handling and port operations activities. The numbers highlight the need for strategic policies to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea).

According to ANTAQ’s survey, women hold only 17.5% of the jobs available in the Brazilian waterway market, which is consistent with the global trend of female participation in the sector. Companies operating in both the port and navigation sectors lead the ranking of female participation, with 17.9% of posts held. In the shipping industry, women have more than 23% of management positions. ​

Women hold 17.3% of the total job positions in the port sector. Cabotage companies rank first in terms of female participation, with 34% of roles held by women, including more than 30% in leadership positions. Except for the board of directors, female involvement in port authorities is higher than the sector average.​

In most companies interviewed, less than 30% of employees are women, and less than 30% hold leadership positions. However, 2.7% of companies reported more than half of their employees identifying as women.

Recruitment and equity

The study also investigated whether companies adopt equity policies in their recruitment processes. The conclusion was that 90.8% of companies adopt at least one gender equity policy when choosing their employees. In addition, 68.6% of companies claim to guarantee equal pay, and 35.6% have adopted gender equality guidelines.

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