Wider Reforms are needed to create a more level playing field for women to enter politics, The Malta Women's Lobby (MWL) said.

MWL said that it supports the reforms that address the low female representation in our national parliament, but wants more to be done.

"Whilst appreciating the gender-corrective mechanism proposal presented in parliament last week, MWL is emphasising the need for additional, broader measures that focus on the barriers that women face in a political system built around male norms, and stresses that legislation needs to be accompanied by strong political will and policy changes."

For this reason, MWL is calling on the government to implement the wider proposals made in the consultation document: Gender Balance in Parliament Reform (2019), which apart from the corrective gender mechanism also seek to:

a)Promote gender mainstreaming and the creation of a strategy for Gender Equality in Parliament;

b) Support parties to motivate, train and mentor women by means of state funding so that voters will be able to choose from gender-balanced lists;

c) Ensure that women obtain critical influence in the Electoral Commission and that an independent annual gender audit of parties takes place, before these may qualify for the proposed public funding.