Figures published last week by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European communities, and the National Statistics Office on the occasion of the International Day of the Family show an evident shift in the way our society – and that in Europe – is formed.

In Malta, the number of births continues to drop, with a 30.7 per cent reduction between 1990 and 2005. On the other hand, the number of births outside marriage continued to rise, up from 1.7 per cent in 1990 to 4.3 per cent in 1995, to 10.6 per cent in 2000 and shooting up to nearly 20 per cent last year.

As a result, Maltese households are becoming smaller and smaller, with 27 per cent of them comprising four people, 24 per cent having two and 22 per cent having three members. The crude marriage rate has fallen too, down from 16.2 per 1,000 population in 1945 to just 5.9 last year. On the other hand, over eight per cent of the brides and bridegrooms in 2005 were marrying a second time, compared to less than one per cent in 1970.

Men and women are taking longer to get married, and this can be attributed to the fact that more people of either sex are prolonging their studies and that many prefer “entertaining” themselves until their late 20s or early 30s before they settle down. As a result, generally speaking, women are having their first baby in their late 20s rather than in the early 20s or late teens as was the case in the past.

It is also evident that women are having fewer babies; the fertility rate dropped to 1.4 children per woman when compared to 3.8 children per woman in 1957 and 2.0 in 1997.

These are all important changes to society that the authorities must take account of when formulating policies for the short and long term. The fact that people are living longer adds burdens on the health care system and the pensions structure, and therefore the necessary adaptations need to be carried out to cater for such exigencies.

The proposed pensions reform must be decided upon and implemented in the shortest time possible, because the more time passes the more complicated the situation will become as there will be fewer workers to support the growing number of pensioners.

The building of the Mater Dei Hospital will add space and facilities in the medical sector, but even the proposed changes to smaller hospitals are intended to improve the situation in this regard.

It seems that the government does have plans in hand to mitigate the effects of the changes we are experiencing. The problem is that decisions take long to be taken, certainly at a slower pace than the changes that are taking place in our society.

The fact that our family structure is changing must also be considered.

There are more people living out of wedlock, more couples are separating, more single mothers and more babies being born to couples who are not married.

Fortunately, society has learnt to accept these circumstances more than it did in the past. But there are other indirect issues that have come up because of these changes, in particular the need for more housing and the problems associated with it. If couples separate they inevitably need two residences, and it is not always the case that they will go back to live with their parents.

Considering the increase in the cost of fuel and energy, it is also likely that there will soon be another shift. In 2004, the Maltese spent 8.6 per cent of their expenditure on housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels. It is probable that the cost for such amenities will grow because of the prevailing situation.