Equality between men and women - one of Government's 'key values'

Prime minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday that equality between women and men was "one of the key values" that would guide his government's work. He was addressing the three-day European conference "Women and Men in an Enlarged Europe", being held in Malta.

Dr Gonzi said he intended to "mainstream" equality between women and men as one of the fundamental principles of his government's decision-making process.

He said Malta had recognised the challenge and had registered rapid progress in this area, establishing the necessary foundations for Maltese men and women to participate equally in an enlarged Europe.

However, he continued, for the ambitious project to grow and materialise into an improvement in the quality of life of ordinary men and women, the legislative and institutional frameworks were not enough.

Equality between women and men was more than the mere absence of discrimination and a cultural change was necessary, which, in turn, required the concerted effort of the government, social partners, civil society, the media and other components of the community.

Women represented half society's potential skills, and their under-representation at any level was a loss for the nation, he said.

The drawing up of Malta's first National Action Plan on Employment had highlighted that no progress in achieving the overall EU's Lisbon strategy goal of full employment could be registered unless an aggressive programme of equal opportunities between men and women is implemented, Dr Gonzi pointed out.

The National Action Plan on Inclusion has also highlighted that a substantially larger proportion of women than men are at risk of poverty and social exclusion.

The Prime Minister yesterday echoed the words of Family and Social Solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina, saying the responsibility of gender equality could not be assigned only to one portfolio, but was the responsibility of the government as a whole.

Equality was an education, economic, health and environmental concern; a concern for competitiveness and investment promotion.

As regards the social security and pensions structure reform, Dr Gonzi said concrete proposals now needed to be put forward. It was clear that Malta had inbuilt mechanisms that militated against female participation in the economy, he added.

An intelligent approach towards a pensions and social welfare reform would help address, in concrete terms, the major challenge of increasing female participation in the labour market.

In her closing speech, Odile Quintin, European Commission director-general for Employment and Social Affairs, said she was confident that words would translate into action, adding that clear progress, particularly in the reconciliation of work and family life, has already been registered over the years and the gender gap has been diminishing.

She felt Malta was prepared, in terms of gender equality legislation, to use the structural funds available in the most appropriate way.

Equality between men and women has been one of the fundamental principles of the EU since the beginning and an essential condition for economic performance, Ms Quintin said.

The need to utilise the productive potential of the European labour force was vital for the achievement of the overall Lisbon strategy goal to be the most dynamic and knowledge-based economy in the world, offering more jobs and more social cohesion, she continued.

The implementation of the gender equality acquis was crucial and created a basis for gender equality policies.

Ms Quintin said the European Employment strategy, the social inclusion process and the mobilisation of resources, both human and financial, provided by the structural funds, were an essential contribution to the implementation of gender equality policies.

She stressed the importance of the role of social dialogue and the social partners - a leitmotiv of the EU.

The underlying message of the conference - organised by the Unit on Equality for Women and Men within the Directorate-General on Employment and Social Affairs of the European Commission, and attended by over 200 participants - was the need to be active and to adopt a partnership approach, Ms Quintin said.