Malta’s gender pension gap stands at almost 37%, according to the latest statistics published by the National Statistics Office, Social Policy Minister Michael Falzon told Parliament.

Falzon was responding to a parliamentary question by Opposition MP Graziella Attard Previ, who asked whether there was an average difference between the pensions received by women and men and, if so, how large that difference was.

The minister cautioned, however, that the 37% figure should not be interpreted as a complete picture of the difference in pension incomes between men and women.

Falzon attributed a substantial part of the gap to patterns from previous generations, when many women stopped working after getting married. As a result, he said, some of these women today either have no pension or receive a relatively low pension compared with men.

He said the government had introduced several schemes and amendments to social security legislation in recent years aimed at improving the situation of women affected by these circumstances.

According to Falzon, these measures have contributed to an increase in the number of women receiving pensions.

The minister also highlighted a mechanism introduced in 2015 for people who do not accumulate 10 years of paid social security contributions. Under the scheme, eligible people receive an annual one-off bonus based on the number of contributions they have paid. The bonus has subsequently been increased through successive budgets.

However, Falzon argued that the way the gender pension gap is calculated creates an unusual effect because the annual bonus is included in the calculation despite not being a pension.

He said the bonus lowers the average income classified as pensions for women and therefore increases the measured gender pension gap. According to the minister, if the government did not pay the bonus – which would mean less money in women’s pockets – the gender pension gap would instead stand at less than 29%.

Falzon therefore stressed the need for caution when interpreting the headline figure of almost 37%.

He said the gap does not provide the full picture of the situation and reflects, in part, social and employment circumstances dating back decades, including those experienced by women who left the workforce around marriage as far back as half a century ago or more.