Gender-based occupational challenges in the maritime industry: a comprehensive questionnaire validation

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Sociology of Work
• Psychology

Background:

• Ensuring occupational safety and well-being in high-risk industries requires addressing gender-specific challenges.
• These challenges impact workforce ergonomics, productivity, and retention, particularly for female officers.
• A validated instrument is needed to assess these gender-related occupational challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the Workplace Gender Challenge Questionnaire (WGCQ).
• To assess gender-related occupational challenges faced by female officers in the maritime industry.
• To identify dimensions of these challenges and their impact on workplace safety and well-being.

Main Methods:

• Study 1: Exploratory factor analysis to examine the construct validity of the WGCQ.
• Study 2: Confirmatory factor analysis to confirm the factor structure.
• Study 2: Criterion-related validity tested by correlating WGCQ dimensions with the job-related emotional exhaustion scale.

Main Results:

• Three key dimensions of gender-based occupational challenges were identified: gender inequality, work-family conflict, and feeling of inadequacy.
• These dimensions critically determine workplace safety, job strain, and ergonomic well-being.
• Gender disparities contribute to psychosocial stressors, increasing emotional exhaustion, fatigue, and ergonomic inefficiencies.

Conclusions:

• The validated WGCQ offers a standardized framework for assessing gender-based occupational challenges.
• It supports developing industry-specific interventions for inclusive policies, ergonomic improvements, and occupational health.
• The WGCQ can be adapted for other male-dominated industries facing similar gender disparities.