The Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations yet again challenges the Minister of Finance Tonio Fenech to implement the following proposals in the forthcoming Budget 2011.
The Labour Market
Family Friendly Measures
According to the Global Gender Gap Report (2010) Malta is amongst the top rated countries for educational attainment. Out of 134 countries Malta, together with other countries such as the UK, Norway, Luxembourg, theUnited States and Australia, is ranked at number one.
This positive ranking contrasts sharply with the ranking Malta obtained in respect to the economic participation of women in the labour market. At 104th place, Malta is in the category of countries like Kuwait (107), Guatemala(109), the Republic of Korea (111) and Qatar (116).
The Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations (MCWO) believes that this ranking is a clear indicator of persistent structural and cultural hurdles that make it difficult for mothers to combine work with care. Although in recent years government has given fiscal incentives and provided some services, it believes that these measures are neither sufficient nor tackle persistent structural problems in a holistic manner. For example the budget for after- school services last year was nil and until now, there are only 3 government schools which offer this essential service. There are similar problems with childcare services in government schools as these are available only in 9 out of 68 localities.
Recommendation 1:
MCWO suggests that in the forthcoming budget Government should allocate adequate funds in order for more women to be able to combine work and family. The specific public measures are the following:
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- The introduction of affordable and accessible, before and after- school services through extra curricular activities. These services must be compatible with typical working hours and should be offered in more localities.
- An increase in State Childcare ideally attached to existing schools, which is compatible with typical working hours.
- The extension of the paid maternity leave period from the current 14 to 20 weeks as approved by the European Parliament without passing the cost on to the employers.
- The introduction of two (2) weeks paid paternal leave period without passing the cost on to the employers in order to give fathers the much needed opportunity to bond with their newborns which would address the present problem of stereotyped roles of mothers and fathers.
The country’s economic prosperity and the advancement of women are inter-related and investment in education would be lost if women are unable to continue working once they become mothers.
Violence against Women
In 2009 the number of reported cases of domestic violence increased by 25 per cent. However, the provision of funds to support women victims did not reflect such an increase in resource requirements, particularly in the number of social workers engaged to support these women. In fact, whilst in 2009 funds provided stood at €47,000, actual funds allocated for 2010 were nearly halved. (Budget Estimates 2010 p. 173).
The link between domestic violence and economic loss has been well established. All stakeholders suffer the consequence, the victims themselves, the employers and the country as a whole. This resulted in a loss by under performance at the workplace and an increase in sick leave taken by such victims. In fact, Article 6.1 Civil Society Financial Resources and Evaluation (2010 Council of Europe Draft Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence) declares that:
6.1 Parties shall allocate sufficient financial and human resources for the adequate
implementation of integrated policies, measures and programmes to prevent and
combat violence against women and domestic violence, including those carried out by non-governmental organisations and civil society.
Recommendation 2:
MCWO recommends that in the forthcoming budget it would be expedient for the government to at least double the 2010 funds allocated to the Commission on Domestic Violence and increase the number of social workers. It is imperative that women facing violence are able to obtain all the necessary help and support they need in order to make a better life for themselves and their families.
The Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations is a full member of the European Women’s Lobby.
