The low participation rate of women in the labour market, decision making and representatives positions negatively affects the true democratisation of our society and these “drastic measures” are necessary if Malta aims to reach the employment targets set by the Lisbon agenda for 2010, said family and social solidarity minister Dolores Cristina yesterday, during a conference entitled Women and Men in an Enlarged Europe.

The conference addressed issues dealing with equality between the sexes in the EU and during her address, the minister explained that the creation of quality jobs together with family friendly public policies and work practices are of critical importance for the role of women in the Maltese labour market to change.

Economic, social, legislative and cultural aspects must be taken into account in the approach to policy-making when tackling the issue of the lack of women’s participation in the labour market in Malta. Some of these aspects include changes in traditional family values, like the increase of single-parent families as well as demographic changes like the falling birth rate and the ageing society.

Mrs Cristina explained that a “double burden” is currently imposed on the women in Malta who do work, largely due to the lack of affordable and quality day-care services. This leaves women having to stretch themselves to the limit to keep up with their work and family responsibilities and specific measures are necessary to ease this burden, she said.

The difference between men and women in society are more pronounced in low-income groups, continued the minister. Since women form the majority of the economically inactive members of society and therefore do not have independent incomes, they are “more vulnerable to fall into the poverty trap”, she said.

The minister said that Malta has an “inherent matriarchal force”, referring to the Madonna and the goddess of fertility, and therefore more women should assert their role in society by being economically active and independent.