With 65 votes in favour and 2 against, a Bill amending the Constitution of Malta was passed to strengthen democracy; to ensure better representation between men and women in the Maltese Parliament. A historical milestone for Malta and an important step towards change, which at this point in time, paves the way towards having women’s voices better heard.
Women’s participation in the public sphere has improved. Various initiatives introduced by the Labour Government have served to unlock women’s potential and have certainly left their mark. Yet, the political arena has not seen the same advancement vis-a-vis women’s political participation.
The failure to daringly address the stalled progress of women’s representation in politics has resulted in only 9 out of 67 Members of Parliament being women. This is the reality for 2021. For more than 70 years, Malta has persistently registered a tremendously low representation of women in Parliament, consequently ranking at the far end when compared to other EU Member States.
This law should definitely not be viewed as simply a matter of gaining scores. Indeed, the matter at hand goes far beyond mere numbers. It is about ensuring that the different experiences and diverse realities that all citizens experience are truly represented.
In this regard, the temporary gender corrective mechanism does not specifically refer to women but is concerned with the under-represented sex. As things stand, women are those heavily under-represented, yet should men in years to come be identified as the under-represented sex, this same mechanism would equally apply. It is worth noting that this new mechanism does not interfere with the current electoral system but provides an ‘add-on’ to the present system. This means that a maximum of 12 additional seats will be allocated in the eventuality that the under-represented sex obtains less than 40% representation.
This new mechanism has been the topic of many heated debates. However, it would be unwise to overlook the other proposals presented during this reform’s process. Gender mainstreaming in Parliament is one area. At present, due to the low number of female members, it is impossible to have equal representation in Parliamentary Committees. At the most critical stage of the legislative process, diversity of thought is lacking, resulting in the different existing realities present in our society not being brought to the table. Gender mainstreaming would therefore ensure that the laws that affect society are deliberated in a gender balanced committee; one that mirrors the people it represents.
The dearth of women in Parliament and lack of proper representation could not continue to go unaddressed. This new law shall thus serve as a force to progressively transform our entrenched status quo and gradually change our perceptions towards women’s role in the political sphere.
This, however, will not happen exclusively through legislation and requires collective effort. We need to strive further to ensure that a more gender balanced Parliament serves to be an important model for society today and for future generations.
Dr Josianne Cutajar is a Labour Member of the European Parliament and was a member of the Technical Committee for the Strengthening of Democracy