Exhibition promotes women in maritime roles

Assistant boat-keeper Emily Ball said her job was male-dominated

An exhibition is spotlighting women in maritime jobs in an attempt to reduce inequality in the industry.

Women account for 29% of the maritime workforce, according to Lloyd's Register Foundation.

The charity said its She_Sees exhibition, which opens at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard on Friday, could be a catalyst for change.

The display features portraits and stories of women in naval and civilian roles through history.

Hannah Prowse, chief executive of Portsmouth Historic Quarter Trust, said the project helped to "rewrite women into history", including stories of female Portsmouth dockyard workers.

She said: "It's really powerful to realise that at the end of the First World War there were more women working in manual trades in this dockyard than there are today.

"We have a skills crisis in this country, both in maritime industries and in others, and if you're only drawing from 50% of the population then you're going to lose out."

Boatbuilder Betzy Shell is featured at the exhibition

Assistant boat-keeper Emily Ball works at Boathouse 4 where the exhibition is being held.

She said: "I drive the cranes now, I crew boats, I'm going to do a welding course, the possibilities are pretty endless.

"When I had my taster day I could see that it was a male-dominated role but I soon found out that I just loved everyone here and fell straight into it."

The exhibition was first launched in 2023 at London International Shipping Week.

Louise Sanger from Lloyd’s Register Foundation said: “We’re thrilled to be bringing She_Sees to Portsmouth, one of Britain’s most significant cities when it comes to naval history.

“When we started working on this project, we had one mission in mind: to set the record straight on women’s contributions to maritime, now and throughout history."