While the roles and numbers of women in the workplace have progressed over the years, women still feel that in general, the dynamics need to develop further, and the Maltese gender employment culture needs to change.

Careers’ Day, organised yesterday in line with International Women’s Day celebrated on the 8th of March, saw a room filled with approximately one thousand secondary schoolgirls, asking questions to women in their desired career roles.

CEOs, pianists, fitness instructors, dancers, managers, physiotherapists, bloggers and airline pilots, to name a few, all sat strategically around the MFCC hall, ready to answer the girls’ questions and hopefully offer career advice and instill inspiration within them.

The event, organised by the Business and Professional Women’s Organisation, ran for the fifth consecutive year. Originally starting off as a small pilot project in a school yard, the event has grown radically over the years, and this year has reached a record attendance of 15 schools, to which girls from all-girl schools and mixed schools around the island were invited.

Event organiser Stephanie Falzon explained that the idea is to help the girls, who she describes as ‘tomorrow’s women’, understand “that the possibilities out there are limitless”. Ms Falzon brings to attention the gender imbalance in the workplace, and stated that despite “the extremely helpful schemes which the government are putting into place to help women working… in the end, if the child is sick, it is [taken for granted that] the mother stays at home with the child”.

Ms Falzon believes that this culture in Malta has to change, and therefore hopes the event will help to “guide the girls to believe in themselves and to be aware of all the possibilities”, she says.

According to 2016 statistics, Malta has the largest gender employment gap in Europe at 27.8%, whilst the share of women on boards in Malta stands at a low 2.5%, with the EU-28 average of 21.2% of board members of the largest publicly listed companies. 

“A lot of men are founders of companies, and I think if you take a step back, you realise that the bigger question is ‘why aren’t more women doing that?’” Charlotte Seymour, Strategy Director at BRAND WAGON said, when asked about the subject. “Another question is why aren’t women more empowered? Or maybe they are but there are other variables, if so what are the variables?”.

“It’s also about getting men on board. It’s about bringing women up, but not making it exclusively about women. We don’t feel like we have an equal share on the table, and men need to know how we feel about it.”

When asked what could be done to improve the situation, Charlotte suggested that “it is important to notice the lack of awareness at how vital it is to have a balanced board which are making the top, final decisions. I feel that’s the crux in Malta, I cannot get into a certain role as much as the people on the board feel that role is not needed. I think if the right person comes along, whether they are male or female, they should have the role. However, I also think that most of the time women do not feel empowered enough or know their own value enough to go and ask for it”.

Adorned in uniform, Jody Maisano, American Lieutenant Commander and United States Coast Guard Attache’ at the American Embassy, says that she has never felt a form of gender imbalance and has always been judged by nothing other than the ability to do her job. “Someone’s education is the most important foundation for the ability to perform a job,” she says. “People should just really care that you are competent at your job and that you are a good person and that you are kind.. [when you want a service] you are going to want the person that does the best job. You don’t care who they are”.

With over 250 mentors attending the event, Ms Falzon said that they wanted the girls to meet both women who have achieved their career goals as well as those who are still progressing. From the side of the mentors, it was an opportunity for them to empower the youth.

“It is important for them to see that there are women out there doing all kinds of jobs,” said LCDR Jody Maisano, “even though there aren’t many people doing this, it is still something they can do, if they get a good education and they work hard..[ultimately] they’re judged by the job that they do and that would give them credibility”.