Let Numbers Speak: Job Opportunities and International Exchange Programs for Female Maritime Cadets

Abstract

For 6 years, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) of the USA has been conducting a student exchange program with Shanghai Maritime University (SMU) of China. Every spring term, about 20 cadets are selected from each institution and sent to the other campus to study for one semester. MMA, like many other traditional maritime schools, is a male-dominated institute, with the gender distribution being 12 % female cadets and 88 % male cadets. However, the cadets participating in the MMA exchange program have shown quite a different gender ratio with the female’s participation rate, displaying a surge in the past 2 years. Furthermore, the female cadets tend to stand out in the job market upon graduation, especially in comparison to their male peers. This paper presents an analysis of what accounts for the success of selected female cadets, how they outperform in the international exchange programs, and their subsequent achievements in the job market by applying case-study methodology, school-wide surveys and the data collected over the course of 6 years. The findings indicate that the outstanding qualities of female cadets, such as language proficiency, cultural adaptability, flexibility, intuitive vision, and genuine curiosity and perseverance, are displayed and encouraged, allowing the women to reach their full potential. The school-wide cultural awareness and job market success, motivate more MMA female cadets to participate in the MMA-SMU exchange program.