Speaking at a forum on women and the world of work, Dr Galea said women’s role in the job market needs legal and social infrastructure which is modern and supports contemporary culture, especially in terms of work practices. The forum focused on studies made of women who could potentially return to work.

The National Commission for Gender Equality, together with law amendments, form the basis of the legal infrastructure needed. No sector can be complete without a foundation of equal rights for both genders, said the minister.

Malta must keep on taking the measures necessary for women with family responsibilities to be able to work. Women are a determining factor in economic and social development, and their participation in the job market must be raised. Dr Galea said this issue is a priority in the National Action Plan for employment being drawn up.

Only 5.5 per cent of women hold high positions and although the number of professional women is increasing, relatively few are in top management positions, said the minister.

Legislature is offering women more opportunities than in the past, with the possibility of special maternity leave and better protection from sexual abuse in the work place.

Not enough quality child day care facilities exist to give women peace of mind to join the work force once again, coupled with the fact that not all parents can afford the day care available, Dr Galea said.

Most part-time workers are female, but this must not be seen as a solution to the problem of the female level of participation, he said. Women need to be given the support necessary to balance their home and work life.

A revolution came about in the education sector. 50 per cent of females are now educated at post-secondary and tertiary levels, he said.

Although 60 per cent of university students are female, there is a greater need to entice women to take up studies in sectors that have traditionally been dominated by males, such as engineering and technology.

The forum, held yesterday, dealt with the Employment and Training Centre’s study of women who have stopped working, whether they wish to work and under what conditions. A telephone survey was conducted with responses from 768 inactive women between the ages of 19 and 64.

The study found that the younger the woman, the more likely she wants to work. A woman’s partner having a second job also increases her desire to work, according to the findings. 44 per cent of the respondents said they would like to work.

The 97.6 per cent of the 367 women who expressed a wish to work said financial reasons have a strong bearing on their opinion. The opportunity to learn and socialise was also cited as an important factor for women wanting to work.

Over 99 per cent of the respondents said they were not actually seeking work but would consider working under certain conditions – family friendly hours and adequate opportunities are but a few examples.

Eighty-seven per cent of the women who wished to work had a partner who was employed. The average income of the respondents’ partners was Lm5,528.

The research forum discussed four main issues – how men and women can be helped to balance work and family, how women who want to work can be enabled to do so, the roles of the social partners in meeting these goals and practical policy interventions and their relative priority.