Maltese women were ‘granted’ the vote in 1947. Since then the woman’s place in the home, the family and indeed in society has changed dramatically.
Women have also propelled themselves onto the political stage. Political parties have for some time given a wide berth to women’s active participation in politics. Today, quite a substantial number of women occupy prominent party positions and have achieved very good results, at least at local level. Yet when it comes to national elections be they general elections or those of the European Parliament, women have struggled to achieve some form of proportionate representation. Its as if there is a major obstacle that prevents women from achieving this electoral success.
For years I have written in favour of more female representation at a national level. I steadfastly believe that women are just as capable as men in participating in the country’s decisive political process. Our few female parliamentarians have, both as deputies and ministers, achieved many successes when they were given the chance. Likewise, I believe that the political parties have not only encouraged but also done their best to promote women’s chances at general elections. Sadly, much of these women’s efforts prove futile when at the polls they are not given the actual support that matters, the vote.
Of course women should not expect any preferential treatment when it is time to vote. Politics is not an easy mission. It requires energy, determination and no small dose of passion to manage the challenges of becoming an effective politician. Women who participate at committee level, local politics, as a candidate, parliamentarian or minister face a particular set of challenges that make life that bit more difficult than usual.
In the upcoming General Election, 26 women have chosen to stand for this test. These women come from the three parties with the largest grouping hailing from my party. PN will field 13 female candidates that equates to 18 per cent of the whole complement of candidates on its ticket. PL follows with 12 female candidates that equates to 14 per cent of their list. Alternattiva Demokratika will be fielding one female candidate. It is interesting to note that my party will be fielding the largest number of female candidates ever and this should bode well for our chances in this election. Of course this will not be enough.
Sadly, Maltese women have a lot of catch up to do to equal the European average of female participation at national level. This dearth of female participation in the active life of Maltese politics remains a continuing stumbling block for more successful female politicians. It is abundantly clear that women still have a long way to go to reach some form of parity in this field. The real reason for this reluctance continues to escape me. I would hate to believe that women are still cynical about the whole political process but acknowledge that women have to work significantly harder to gain and maintain the trust that is due to any hard working politician regardless of gender.
The present stats speak for themselves. During the last legislature only two women formed part of a 13-strong Cabinet. (In all fairness they were the only two to be elected to this government.) In Parliament things do not get any better. From 69 elected members there are only six women, this equates to a miserable 8.7 per cent of the House. Worse still is the abysmal showing of women at the MEP elections, where in the last elections of 2009 not one single woman was elected. These latter results have drawn stern criticism from our European counterparts.
I remain confident that this situation is not being brought about from within the political parties themselves. At least from my active experience within my party I have seldom felt any resistance or antipathy towards female participation. On the contrary, I feel women are encouraged to come forward at the highest levels when the case arises.
Clearly, it is up to us women to continue working assiduously to garner the necessary support that will eventually give us our fair representation. This fair representation will go a long way in strengthening the validity of the political debate. This representation will enrich the political experience with a more profound mix of ideas and deepens the perspective of the political decision process.
Alas, this result will not come about by wishing well. This, I repeat, will only be achieved by more work and more intense female participation that require dedication, enthusiasm and a dose of individual steadfastness. Probably, as women this is an inevitable requirement and if that is what it takes to make it then so be it!
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Ms Galea is a PN candidate for the IV and VI districts