Revealing the hidden history of women on ships, from cabin 'boys' to cruise ship captains.
Traditionally, a woman's place was never on stormy seas. But actually thousands of dancers, purserettes, doctors, stewardesses, captains and conductresses have taken to the waves on everything from floating palaces to battered windjammers. Their daring story is barely known, even by today's seawomen. From before the 1750s, women fancying an oceangoing life had either to disguise themselves as cabin 'boys' or acquire a co-operative husband with a ship attached. Early pioneers faced superstition and discrimination in the briny 'monasteries'. Today women captain cruise ships as big as towns and work at the highest level in the global maritime industry. This comprehensive exploration looks at the Merchant Navy, comparing it to the Royal Navy in which Wrens only began sailing in 1991. Using a wide variety of interviews and sources, Jo Stanley vividly reveals the incredible journey across time taken by these brave and lively women salts.
AUTHOR: Jo Stanley comes from a Liverpool seafaring family, and wrote her Ph.
D on stewardesses, the main women seafarers. She is a former journalist and adult education teacher who has, since the 1970s, published a wide range of books and journal articles on gender issues and seafaring.
50 b/w illustrations and 40 b/w line drawings
By:
Jo Stanley
Imprint: The History Press Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: New edition
Dimensions:
Height: 216mm,
Width: 138mm,
ISBN: 9781837050734
ISBN 10: 1837050732
Publication Date: 19 February 2026
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Praise for Seafaring Women Through History Title Copyright Contents Acknowledgements Introduction to the 2026 Edition Introduction to the 2016 Edition Foreword by Louise Sanger 1 Britain’s Forgotten Women Seafarers 2 Different Times, Different Possibilities The Vessel 3 From ‘Boy’ to Captain: Working on Deck 4 From Sail-Shifter to Chief Engineer: Propelling the Ship The Hotel 5 From Steward’s Wife to Chief Housekeeper: Doing the Domestic Tasks 6 From Loblolly Boy to Surgeon: Caring for Health 7 From Convict Matron to Cruise Director: Supporting the Passengers 8 From Stenographer to Administration Director: Doing the Ship’s Business Afloat 9 From Candy Girl to Retail Expert: Working in Shops and Hairdressing Salons 10 Women in Many Roles 11 Conclusion: Progress and Prognosis Appendix 1 A Note on the Thinking Behind this Book Appendix 2 Chronology of Selected Landmarks in Women’s Seafaring History Appendix 3 Women Seafarers Who Dressed as Men Appendix 4 Between Navies Appendix 5 Ships as ‘She’ Glossary Notes Further Reading
JO STANLEY comes from a Liverpool seafaring family, and wrote her Ph.D on stewardesses, the main women seafarers. She is a former journalist and adult education teacher who has, since the 1970s, published a wide range of books and journal articles on gender issues and seafaring.
Reviews for Seafaring Women Through History
‘Jo Stanley has fearlessly explored the depths of maritime history, discovering treasures along the way. Read this book and find out why.’ -- Marcus Rediker, author of <i>The Slave Ship: A Human History</i>
