I recently read an article in HR Magazine (How to build a stronger pipeline of women leaders), which highlighted an interesting disparity. While women account for close to half of the UK workforce (49%), they occupy just 38% of VP-level and above positions.

It raises an important question. Why does this imbalance persist, and how does the picture compare within the maritime industry?

At Spinnaker, we have been analysing executive pay and the gender pay gap across the maritime sector for the past 10 years. While the industry has made progress in improving gender diversity, our research shows that there is still considerable work to do. In particular, the gender pay gap in maritime (Gender Pay Gap in Maritime) remains significantly higher than the UK all-sector average.

In 2025, Spinnaker’s Gender Pay Gap Report included data from more than 2,000 UK shore-based positions. The findings revealed a mean gender pay gap of 37.91% and a median gap of 36.46%.

By comparison, the UK all-sector averages in 2025 were 13.40% and 12.80% respectively. This puts the maritime mean gender pay gap around 25 percentage points above the national average, with the median gap approximately 24 percentage points higher.

These figures highlight the scale of the challenge facing the sector. But pay is only one part of the picture. To understand why the gap persists, we also need to look at where women are represented within maritime organisations, particularly at the most senior levels.

Spinnaker also conducts regular research into executive leadership positions, and the findings from 2025 show that female representation in executive leadership roles within the Spinnaker Salary Report has reached 17%. This represents an increase of 3 percentage points compared with 2024 and 2 percentage points compared with 2023.

While this is encouraging progress, it also demonstrates how much further the industry needs to go to achieve a better gender balance at the highest levels.

Importantly, the figures reveal that women remain concentrated in particular executive functions, with considerably less representation in some of the roles that have significant influence over the strategic, commercial and operational direction of shipping businesses.

So, what can organisations do to create a stronger pipeline of female leaders?

The HR Magazine article highlights some interesting findings around workplace flexibility and career support. Companies where more than half of employees work remotely have 39.7% women in leadership positions, compared with 32.6% at organisations where between 20% and 49% of employees work remotely.

The research also suggests that organisations which actively support and normalise career breaks for dependent care have a 14-percentage-point advantage in leadership diversity.

While flexible working and greater support for career breaks are clearly part of the solution, employers also need to consider how they identify, develop and promote female talent. Providing access to mentoring, leadership development and opportunities to gain experience across different business functions can all help women progress into more senior positions.

For the maritime industry, this means looking beyond traditional career pathways and ensuring women have opportunities to develop the commercial, operational and technical experience needed to reach the very top.

Improving female representation in senior leadership is not simply about filling positions. It is about making sure the maritime industry can attract, develop and retain the widest possible pool of talent for the future.