Women in employment
Malta has one of the lowest rates of working women in the EU. The 2012 pre-Budget document showed that in the 20 to 49 age group, the female employment rate in European countries stood at 68.1 per cent and that of Mediterranean countries at 64.6 per cent. In Malta, the rate is 54.3 per cent.
Renee Laiviera, who chairs the Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations, believes the government can do more.
“When a couple are planning to have a child, the last thing on their mind is the national birth rate... Increasing the birth rate is the responsibility of government and its policies. Our economy has to increase the female participation rate in the labour market. Raising the national birth rate will in itself increase human resources to further expand the economy and sustain pensions,” she said.
The pre-Budget document, she said, recognised that there was a “steady erosion” of women in the labour market but proposed no plans to introduce effective family support structures.
A cohesive action plan was required to tackle the lacunae parents were facing to find a work/life balance. This would have to include efficient childcare services, flexible work conditions in the public and private sector and parental leave for fathers, among others.
Dr Spiteri Gingell noted that statistics showed a strong correlation between child bearing and the active participation of women in the labour force.
Participation of women with children (aged 25 to 49) stood at 31.4 per cent, compared with 65.6 per cent participation among those who are not mothers.
He said measures that supported pro-natal policies, such as the alignment of the pension system, had to be complemented by a thorough and in-depth study of the measures Malta should embrace to bridge what currently constituted opposing poles: the responsibility of raising a family, with the aspiration to remain an active participant in the labour market.