LIVORNO – A sector that has traditionally been male-dominated is gradually changing, opening up to women entering the workforce, thanks in part to technological innovation and environmental sustainability – genuine processes that are professionalising a working environment which used to revolve around physical strength.
Gender inequality in the port/maritime context continues to be a very real, tangible issue, but the first significant signs of change are beginning to emerge. Pierpaolo Danieli, Port Network Authority (PNA) Secretary-General, is convinced of this, speaking yesterday afternoon at the ‘Ports & Female Leadership’ conference at Livorno Port’s Cruise Terminal, organized by the Soroptimist Club Livorno.
Mr. Danieli reflected on his own personal experience. He entered the Naval Academy in 2000 as part of the first mixed-gender intake. He explained that he had not directly experienced the difficulties associated with women joining a sector – the Navy – that has traditionally been predominantly male. “For me, the generational change came about naturally; I didn’t feel any sense of upheaval, even though I was aware of the regulatory constraints of the time,” he said, recalling that, initially, Harbour Authorities had maximum percentages that could not be exceeded, as well as restrictions on certain special programs, which were later lifted. “Today,” he pointed out, “the presence of female senior officers is considered normal, and many are set to become admirals – a milestone that is now widely accepted.”
The most poignant part of his speech concerned the balance between professional and family life. According to Mr. Danieli, active gender policies are not purely a women’s issue, but an indispensable tool for enabling both parents to balance their careers and family life. His view is also based on personal experience: “I have a very young son and my wife works as well. It’s complicated.”
The top executive believes the answer lies in teamwork: there is something that can be done in every area.
Beginning with the port sector, which for decades remained male-dominated, although “in the 1980s, three women were taken on for the first time, right here in Livorno. A record at national level”.
It has been a long journey since then, at the Port Network Authority too, where women account for 44 % of the workforce and 50% of its management.
The Secretary-General explained that, over the course of the last few months, he had become aware of the changes taking place in port-maritime work, with the emergence of new professions that do not require particular physical strength. A gap that may have been felt in the past but which “has now been bridged by technology”.
In terms of practical initiatives, Danieli pointed out that the Port Network Authority has already adopted its own policy and obtained gender equality certification, which attests to the importance the Authority attaches to this issue. “However,” he added, “this commitment cannot be confined to the Authority itself: it needs to be promoted externally as well, getting all the stakeholders in the port system involved.”
The Secretary General concluded his speech quoting the famous words of the American legal scholar Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to be appointed as a judge of the US Supreme Court. “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.” It’s true: achieving gender equality means creating the conditions in which skills and merit can be fully realised, without any distinction.
The debate was enriched by a number of insightful contributions which approached the issue from a number of different professional perspectives. Following the official welcoming remarks by Deputy Mayor Libera Camici, Livorno’s Prefect, Giancarlo Dionisi, the CEO of Porto Immobiliare, Lorenzo Riposati, and the President of Soroptimist, Alessandra Querci, key figures from local government and businesses took turns at the speakers’ table: Roberta Macii (Head of Tenders and Contracts at the Port Network Authority), Monica Bellandi (President of the Amerigo Vespucci Tuscan Freight Village), Lieutenant Commander Diletta Volpe, Gloria Dari (President of Spedimar), Valentina Ercoli (Seatrag CEO) and Francesca Marcucci (President of Confcommercio).
Translation by Giles Foster