On 17th and 18th May in Livorno, the Logistics Systems University Complex of Villa Letizia and the Museum of Natural History of the Mediterranean of Villa Henderson will host the International Conference ” Women’s Port. Women in the maritime and port sector, why not?”. The initiative ispromoted and developed by the Municipality of Livorno, RETE – International Association for the Collaboration between Ports and Cities, the Research Institute on Innovation and Services for Development of the Italian National Research Council (Cnr Iriss), and the University of Pisa, under the patronage of the Tuscany Region and the Port System Authority of the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea.
The conference is part of a vast project of international relevance that aims, on the one hand, to promote knowledge of the work done by women in the port and maritime sector to a wide public and, on the other hand, to foster the debate among stakeholders in the sector, to increase the presence of women in ports and the maritime sector. The aim is to represent port and maritime work as an opportunity for women and future generations.
Even though the presence of women in ports has undoubtedly been favoured by new technologies and equipment that have enabled women to start working in a field that for many years was considered predominantly – if not exclusively – male, women’s employment in the maritime-port sector remains residual. Internationally, women employed in the maritime sphere do not even reach 2%.
The conference is meant to contribute to bridging the gender gap in the maritime-port sector to make it more and more women-friendly, by sharing experiences and good practices in several European ports and fueling a constructive debate between industry stakeholders, research, and institutional representatives.
The two-day event will start on May 17th at the Logistics Systems University Complex of Villa Letizia. The morning programme will include a debate between various operators working in the Port of Livorno. It will be the occasion to share the experiences of women who play strategic roles in the maritime-port sector, and the testimonies of female port and maritime workers to address the issue of the future employment of new generations and future actions to overcome gender distinctions in the sector. The afternoon will be devoted to an in-depth discussion on automation, digitalisation, safety, and training. On the same day, the President of RETE, Téofila Martínez Saiz, will meet with Luciano Guerrieri, the President of the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea Port System Authority.
The international conference will be held on 18th May at the Mediterranean Museum of Natural History in Villa Henderson and will be attended by distinguished speakers at the European and national level. The President of RETE will participate in the panel discussion “The role of women in the port and maritime community. How to close the gap” together with Zeno d’Agostino, President of the European Association of Ports and Harbours; Lamia Kerdjouudj, Secretary General of Feport; Nicolette Van der Jagt, Director General of CLECAT; Berardina Tommasi, Policy Dockers ETF – European Transport Workers’ Federation.
Among the representatives of the academia and institutions participating in the conference are several members of RETE who will take part in the round table “Redesigning the city for women: exchanges of urban experiences”, chaired by Massimo Clemente, director of Cnr Iriss and scientific director of RETE, and moderated by Eleonora Giovene di Girasole (Cnr Iriss and RETE). Participants in the debate will be: Carola Hein (TU Delft University – RETE); Maddalena Rossi (Department of Architecture, University of Florence); Fulvia Pinto (Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Politecnico di Milano); Mina Akhavan (TU Delft University – RETE); Florence Andreola, Founder Sex and the Cities Milan; Giuseppe Grezzi, Councillor for Mobility and Councillor of Valencia City Council); Gabriella Esposito (Cnr Iriss). The conclusions will be entrusted to Barbara Bonciani, Councillor for Port and Port-City Integration of the Municipality of Livorno, member of the Governing Board and of the Scientific Committee of RETE.
The conference will be streamed. The link will be available in the coming days on the conference website: https://www.comune.livorno.it/porto-integrazione-citta-porto/porto-delle-donne
Conference promo video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lY1v3YVJFtk&feature=youtu.be
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