Beyond Symbolic Inclusion: Exploring resistance to the inclusion of women in the Indian maritime industry

Abstract

This study critically examines the entrenched socio-cultural, institutional, and operational obstacles that impede the substantive inclusion of women within the maritime sector. Utilizing qualitative data derived from comprehensive interviews with thirty-five diverse Indian-origin seafarers, positioned as officers and engineers, this research applies interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to elucidate the manifestations, functions, and negotiations of gendered resistance in this historically male-dominated environment. The lived experiences of seafarers in the industry underscore both the constraints they encounter and the subtle forms of resistance they enact throughout their professional trajectories, prompting a critical re-evaluation of institutional inertia, symbolic inclusion, and the concept of gendered agency. This research is fundamentally guided by gender role theory and institutional theory, which inform both the research questions and the conceptualization of resistance. To examine how deeply entrenched impede reform efforts, this study draws upon organizational change models. Furthermore, the discussion integrates feminist institutionalism and intersectionality to underscore the wider implications of these dynamics and the multifaceted nature of exclusion. The findings advocate for profound, justice-centered reforms that reconceptualize gender inclusion as an ongoing process of systemic realignment rather than superficial tokenism.