A matter of choice

The announcement that the country will not be marking Workers’ Day this year to “avoid a clash” with the beatification of John Paul II was offensive, for the simple reason that the government made the choice on behalf of citizens of what their priority should be – a celebration of religious belief over an international celebration of workers’ rights.

In spite of the bigotry, the government did mark the occasion with a statement. The Prime Minister chose to highlight the number of women who benefitted from “family-friendly measures”. He said 7,500 mothers have entered the work force since 2007, through the offer of a one-year income tax holiday for every child. The option was taken by just 10 per cent of public sector employees.

Still, the Prime Minister may have felt encouraged to highlight that statistic because of a EU report last December that showed Malta had registered the highest growth rate in female employment within the EU. Selective presentation of facts can be dangerous, however. The Prime Minister failed to address the concerns behind those figures.

Dr Gonzi acknowledged that the government wants “more people to strike a balance between work and family life”. In fact, the EU, the UN and the World Economic Forum have provided enough evidence of the urgent need to address this issue.

In the EU, Malta ranks last in female participation in the labour market. The percentage of unemployed women in Malta remains a staggering 59.2%. Compare that with 35.7% of women in the EU.

Family reasons seem to be the most quoted motive by Maltese women who are without a paid job. If the women represented by those statistics are choosing not to work, then fine. But if the reason is a lack of alternative, then it is unacceptable.

Another EU statistic reveals that Malta ranks last when it comes to the presence of women on company boards. Moreover, gender pay gap remains a reality and stands at 23 per cent.

The UN report on Malta’s progress on the implementation of CEDAW (The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) also includes a long list of concerns. It points to the need for Malta to eliminate entrenched stereotypes on the role of women in society.

The UN said: “Such stereotypes are reflected, inter alia, in women’s low representation in the labour force, in their low participation in political and public life, and in the non-recognition of household work and volunteering in the national account statistics and in women’s pension entitlements and social benefits”.

The UN report offers valuable perspective on the gulf that exists between talk of gender equality and the reality women have to live with. The Committee “notes with concern the strong occupational segregation, both horizontal and vertical, the concentration of women in part-time jobs, and the persistent wage gap between women and men”.

The World Economic Forum has also stepped forward to put figures to our shame. The latest Global Gender Gap Report says Malta ranked 83^rd globally, sitting behind countries like Bangladesh, Ghana and Kyrgyz Republic in which it is scarcely fun to be female. Evidently, living in Malta is not a barrel of laughs either.

The situation is not just bad for women; it is bad for society. The country is failing to make the most of the talents and potential of half the population. The desire for equality has been flattened beneath a barrage of discourse that suggests all women really want is a man and a family to care for. The divorce debate is loaded with such connotations.

The statistics on gender equality prove that the emancipation of women is not a priority in the country. Women are still viewed as the ultimate reservoir of traditional values; the pillar that holds the family together. The government and the Church have been consistent in maintaining that discourse.

The country needs a total overhaul of the way society sees women because inequality between men and women is structural. Fundamental shifts are needed in local culture, in national laws and in business practices. When that happens, the government can boast of an improvement in women’s lives. Anything less is nothing more than a distraction.

Caroline Muscat is a freelance journalist and blogs on www.carolinemuscat.com.