Investigating the Experience of a Female Seafarer through a Gender Photo Lens

Banun Havifah Cahyo Khosiyono (University of Sarjanawiyata Tamansiswa)
Ista Maharsi (Islamic University of Indonesia)
Mia Fitria Agustina (Jenderal Soedirman University)

Muwazah: Jurnal Kajian Gender
Vol 17 No 1 (2025)

This article examines how a woman seafarer uses an image to create her identity and struggles in a male-dominated job. Photovoice and online interviews were used to gather data. While the purpose of the interview was to gather the narratives, the SHOWeD approach helped her think about the picture. Content analysis was used to examine the data to find themes and recount the tales of her identity creation. The results demonstrate that while regulations have been put in place to safeguard women working on ships and to ensure that male and female seafarers have equivalent workloads, there is no assurance that harassment and discrimination won't happen. The male counterpart's unfavorable stigmatization of women working on ships regrettably confirms that women seafarers continue to be a high-stakes profession with possible hazards. One important identity construction that emerges is that women seafarers do not pursue careers that last a lifetime because other jobs are seen as more fulfilling, such working in an office and raising children.