One of the main reasons why we have low female participation in the workforce is the lack of childcare facilities.

Those mothers who do return to the workforce, more often than not, end up leaving their children with their own parents, and in turn grandparents become a hybrid parent/carer. Malta is lucky enough to have this culture, but at the same time, it could be one of the reasons why successive governments have not done enough in terms of childcare facilities. There are a few, but they are literally few and far between.

The incumbent administration started off well in trying to set up various initiatives to encourage women to return to work. Some of these included day care, flexi-hours and tax rebates. But at the end of the day, affordable child care is what is needed. It is useless to offer childcare that does not make it worthwhile for mothers to return to work.  The only way that it would be worth their while would be to offer free day care. The PL has said that it would set up free day care, and the PN has also said that it would continue to build on what it has set up.

But where will the money come from? Childcare does not come cheap. Carers have to be certified and have to be qualified. Will the government (whichever party wins) have enough cash in the coffers to cover it? And, in turn, will it be financially feasible to do so? Or would it be a case of spending more money than is generated through income tax? These are matters that remain to be resolved. In addition, what type of free day care are we talking about? There are tens of thousands of kids who are too young and need to be in care… would it be humanely possible to accommodate them? And what of the private sector? A number of companies have offered their employees ways and means to do it, but will it be mandatory? The parties have stopped short in commenting. While the civil service remains important, the bulk of the economic wheel is pushed by the private sector, and in turn, private sector employees. If they have no reason to return to work, then the whole plan is scuppered already. One possible solution could be public-private-partnerships. Whatever the case may be, something needs to be done sooner, rather than later.