The APB unveils its first Equal Opportunities Plan for Men and Women as part of International Women's Day
“The sea and sky through women's eyes” brings a female perspective to maritime and astronomical fields, highlighting the presence of women in these sectors
Palma
07/03/2025
The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has launched its first Equal Opportunities Plan for Men and Women as part of the conference ‘The sea and the sky through women's eyes’, organised today in collaboration with Diario de Mallorca at the Port Centre in the port of Palma. Several panel discussions, talks and workshops led by female professionals from the world of maritime affairs and astronomy offered a female perspective on these fields, highlighting the presence of women in these sectors.
APB President Javier Sanz welcomed attendees to the Port Centre, located at the APB's institutional headquarters, acknowledging that women are ‘underrepresented’ in these two sectors. Sanz said that the recently signed plan is an important step “towards equality becoming a reality rather than just a goal”.
Male-dominated sectors
The day continued with two panel discussions where the realities of women's presence in the maritime and scientific world were discussed. The first presentation looked at the female perspective on the historically male-dominated maritime sector, with contributions from sailor Helena Alegre, the first female bridge officer at the Grimaldi shipping company, Regina Palaus, and the head of Operations and Port Services at the APB, Eva González.
González explained that the male tradition in the merchant navy can be explained by its military origins, as engineering courses have traditionally been dominated by men. However, she argued that the maritime world is much more diverse than it appears and that there are great job opportunities for young women, both at sea and on land.
In the second panel discussion, the institutional delegate for the CSIC Balearic Islands, Salud Deudero, the coordinator of the Sa Dragonera Blava project of the Save The Med Foundation, Yaiza Santana, the coordinator at the Marilles Foundation and Observadores del Mar, Sandra Espeja, and the director of Quality, Innovation and Sustainability at Astilleros de Mallorca, Lucía Mingot, discussed climate change and maritime sustainability.
In their contributions, moderated by Diario de Mallorca journalist Mar Ferragut, they gave numerous examples of women professionals in their day-to-day work. For example, Deudero talked about how female scientists collect data and samples, which they then use to predict the effects of global warming. “We need to raise awareness, not just among kids, but also among business leaders and other people, about the dangers of climate change denial,” she said.
Historic landmark and star-studded evening
The head of the APB's Corporate Governance Department, Laura Molano, concluded the morning session by summarising the conclusions of the First Equal Opportunities Plan for Men and Women recently approved by the port authority. Molano described this step as a ‘historic milestone’ after 152 years of the organisation's existence.
Molano believes that this plan, which was “fought for by the union and the company, reflects the absolute need for change” in the level of female representation in the port and also the commitment to inform all young people about the great job opportunities that exist in the port sector. "The APB will not stop working to achieve equality," he concluded.
The event “The sea and the sky through women's eyes” continues this afternoon with a talk on the presence of women in astronomy by the AstroJoves youth group and an interactive workshop with the constellation planetarium and a planisphere workshop for all ages by AstroMallorca.
