The cost of resilience: Tokenism, ambiguous loss, and the working-family self-divergence in Taiwan's maritime industry

Abstract

This study investigates the structural barriers and psychological costs associated with career retention among Taiwanese women seafarers, a token" minority group comprising only 3.41% of the workforce. Grounded in Feminist Standpoint Theory (FST) and Kanter's Tokenism Theory the research utilizes a multi-method qualitative approach-including a dedicated workshop forum discussions and a 10-day ethnographic on-site observation aboard an oil tanker-to capture the marginalized narratives of these professionals. Findings reveal that retention is predicated on a taxing psychological separation between the "working self" and the "family self". Within the hyper-masculine shipboard environment women navigate intense gender role conflicts and ambiguous loss where achieving management positions often necessitates remaining unmarried due to entrenched societal expectations of female domesticity. Furthermore their token status subjects them to heightened professional scrutiny persistent sexual harassment from both internal and external stakeholders and a self-imposed silence rooted in collective trauma. The study critiques the "structural blind spots" in current international maritime regulations (e.g.MLC 2006 C190) which fail to address gender-specific physiological needs and safety concerns. We propose a "gender-modulated loss model" to better understand these unique psychological burdens and emphasize the urgent need for gender-sensitive policy interventions to achieve UN SDG 5. By centering the voices of East Asian women in a traditionally male-exclusive sector this research provides a critical reference for advancing gender equality in global maritime contexts."