Female ships officers?

[Canuker]

Other than non-marine specialties, such as medical personnel, cruise directors hotel managers and pursers, are there many senior female ship's officers? Someone who works on the bridge or in the ship's engineer's office.
Have you come across any? After half-a-dozen cruises, I can't recall one.

Is this area of the merchant marine still a male bastion?

[Arwenmark]

I know there are at least one or two female Captains out there and a few first officers as well as other officers, certainly they are a minority still though.

[Traveler353]

The Merchant Service bridge crew is still mostly a mans world. But like most professions it is changing, but very slowly.

[Alexis]

Royal Caribbean has had a woman Captain for a while. I believe they may have two now?
I have also seen woman officers introduced on their ships.

[room010]

There was a young female officer on the Zuiderdam last July. No idea what her actual job was but she was very professional and looked about 16 to me!

[aruvqan]

Originally Posted by room010

There was a young female officer on the Zuiderdam last July. No idea what her actual job was but she was very professional and looked about 16 to me!

I am almost 50 and I know that there are US Naval officers who look about 12 running around on base ...

*sigh* When did I get to be an old fogey?

I think the whole looking 16 thing is a function of better skin care and genetics ... I was looking at some old pictures of my moms graduating class, and they ranged from 16-17 [this was back in 1939] and I swear the girls all looked like they were in their late 20s and the guys all looked leathery [farming community in Iowa] They all worked outside on farms, had crooked teeth and facial scarring or acne or just plain bad skin from sun exposure. People nowadays seem to all get their teeth fixed, antibiotcs to cure acne, no smallpox, contacts or lasix and we have been breeding for looks not the ability to bear children and go back to plowing the field ... and even pictures from the 50s kids looked older, same bad skin, crooked teeth, ugly glasses.

[mr green]

On my first cruise,[Windwood], we had a female C.D., AND a female assistant C.D., and, they were both very good. I have to add that on my next cruise the C.D. was male, and quite disappointing.

john

[sail7seas]

We sailed with a female navigation officer on Maasdam in the last year. It is becoming more common and we should expect to see more.

[mlmc424]

We met Captain Karen on the Monarch in August!

[nfcu]

There are female deck/bridge officers on the QM2.

[G'ma]

In the male-dominated world of global shipping, Karin Stahre Janson is used to raising eyebrows. Now the self-described "tomboy" is making history as the first woman in charge of a major cruise ship. "I'm a pretty tough girl," says Janson, 38, of Stromstad, Sweden. "I've always said I know what I'm doing." Janson, who has taken command of Royal Caribbean's 2,400-passenger Monarch of the Seas, talks with USA TODAY's Gene Sloan about her rise through the ranks and life at sea.

This was May, 2007

[mr green]

A couple of months ago on Coral Princess the C.D. had to leave the ship, and his place was taken by a young lady, I forget the name, but she came from Dorset, England.

john