In 2024, taking all ESPO board meetings and technical committees together, women represented 41.33% of the port professionals participating in the meetings. This remains at a constant level compared to the share of women participating in 2023, which was also 41%. Since ESPO started monitoring the gender balance of its internal meetings in 2018, the share of female participants has been increasing and remains stable.
The Executive Committee, which is the policy-making body of the organisation, saw an attendance of 43.48% women on average in 2024. This is a considerable increase compared to last year’s attendance of 34%. The General Assembly also saw a significant increase in female participation in 2024, with 46.53% of attendees being women. Here too, we can see a considerable increase compared to last year’s attendance of 37%.
A closer look at the results of the different technical committees reveals that several ESPO committees have seen an increase in the share of women attending meetings in 2024 compared to the previous year.
Indeed, this year, the highest levels of female participation were found in two committees: The Cruise and Ferry Port Network, where 10 out of 16 participants were women (62.50%). The Sustainable Development Committee, which saw a total female participation rate of 56.41%.
However, for some committees the number of women participating is decreasing. The Economic Analysis and Statistics Committee had 29.17% female attendance in 2024, which is lower than last year (40%). In the Trade Facilitation, Customs and Security, and Marine Affairs Committees, female participation diminished to only 20.69% this year. The Blue Growth and Energy Committee also lost its gender balance in 2024. This committee performed better in 2023, with 41% of meeting participants being women. The Governance and Management Committee also scored slightly lower in 2024, with 30.95% female representation.
On the other hand, the Intermodal, Logistics & Industry Committee saw an increase in women’s participation, rising from 32% in 2023 to 39% in 2024. In general, committees have doubled their female participation. In 2022, only 19% of attendees were women, whereas this year, 38.29% of overall attendees in the committees were women
Looking at the ESPO Secretariat, since 2024, 7 out of 11 people working at the European Port House are women. The secretariat has also been led by a woman, Isabelle Ryckbost, since 2013. Out of the ten technical ESPO committees and networks, five are currently chaired by women.
“Overall, female participation in ESPO meetings is on the rise, which is a positive development. This year’s ESPO Award will go to the port with the best strategy and policies for attracting female port professionals and creating a supportive work environment to enhance gender balance. I am really looking forward to seeing the excellent examples and projects that will emerge from this. I personally believe that gender equality, balance, and the interaction we achieve by working together are key factors in the success and development of any organisation” says ESPO’s Chair, Ansis Zeltiņš.
Since 2018, ESPO has been monitoring the gender balance through the effective attendance of port professionals to the different meetings of the organisation. The results of this monitoring are published each year on the occasion of the International Women’s Day. ESPO is also one of the founding members of the European Commission’s initiative “Women in Transport – EU Platform for change”, launched in 2017.
Source: ESPO
