HEMISPHERIC SEMINAR: CHALLENGES OF THE WOMAN IN PORTS IN THE XXI CENTURY

1. HEMISPHERIC SEMINAR: CHALLENGES OF THE WOMAN IN PORTS IN THE XXI CENTURY Women facing technological advances and automation in ports

3. What is globalization? • Definition: • the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and v.v. (Anthony Giddens).

4. Effects of technological advances and automation • Who ? • Low- and semi- skilled employees; • What? • Job: labor v.s. machine

5. cont`d • Which jobs? • “traditional men jobs” • Operations, i.e. : • container/ machines v.s. less dockworkers; • cranes/ forklift trucks v.s. manpower;

6. “women jobs” • administration, i.e.: • the computer has displaced women working in office; • eventually technological advances and automation leads to unemployment.

7. How to avoid women becoming displaced and unemployed • Empowering women: • Education; • Training/ retraining; • New opportunity: “traditional men jobs”.

8. Efforts • UN: • IMO; • Women in Development Programme (1989); • ILO; • Dock Work Convention and Recommendation concerning the Social Repercussions of New Methods of Cargo Handling in Docks;

9. The Surinamese Perspective • Surinamese women participation in Maritime programmes: • IMO Women In Development Programme (2); • OAS (1);

10. Suriname Port Management Company • State owned; • Union; • Barrier: low-/ semi skilled personnel;

11. Women employment • In the port management company: • 1971: 0 women: • Technical/ operations; • Now: 45 women out of 170 (= 26. 47 %): • 5 in technical/ operations; • In technical training: 1 (Belgium); • Port related: • port state control officer: 1; • In training: 2 pilots.

12. cont’d • In the port community (highly educated): • 2008: 1st Managing director shipping administration, stevedoring and trucking company, terminal operator; • In the port related institutions: • Port state control (1); • Pilots in training (2).

13. Conclusions • Women are the most vulnerable in the division of labor; • Education and training is the answer to women facing technological advances and automation in ports;