Perceptions of Female and Male University Students on Sustainable Maritime Development Concept: A Case Study from Turkey

Objective: It is a fact that maritime transport is essential for achieving sustainable transport development, and the concept of sustainable development has recently raised great interest in maritime industry. The fundamental role in driving and supporting the sustainability should be pursued by young people, and in Turkey as a developing country, sustainable maritime development should be particularly emphasized by the young population amounting to one third of total. The aim of this paper is to analyze the perceptions of female and male students on sustainable maritime development concept. Method: In order to reach this aim, the study was carried out using a questionnaire distributed to maritime faculty students in Turkey. Three pillars of sustainable maritime development were used to reveal how important the issue is for students and how they perceive them. Results: The study indicated strong emphasis of social sustainable maritime development while the key factor perceived as water pollution as one of the environmental item. Conclusion: The results of the study reveal not only the perceptional differences between Turkish female and male students on sustainable development concept but also on sources of environmental concerns.