Sustaining social cohesion

It is clear that these are changing times for Malta. At the National Conference on Sustainable Development organised by the National Commission for Sustainable Development yesterday, the Prime Minister Dr Lawrence Gonzi strongly reiterated his commitment to promoting a sustainable development strategy for the Maltese Islands, and looks forward to engaging with the stakeholders during this time of activity.

It is also encouraging to see the continuing interest in and commitment to the draft report on sustainable development in all fields, particularly in the field of social cohesion, an area of specialisation which shall be discuss in some detail.

For example, the report suggests measures that decrease the rate of early school leavers. What leads young persons to drop out of school with low earnings potential, due to little or no academic qualifications? Studies have often pointed to the need of adapting our educational system, so that schools respond to the needs of disadvantaged groups who are unable to participate in mainstream education. To what extent have we taken such findings on board? We are faced with a seeming paradoxical situation: a compulsory school leaving age that runs parallel to educational underachievement and high illiteracy among young people.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights are increasingly dwarfed by other agendas on sustainable health, such as obesity, mental health, the elderly and so on. Rarely has it been emphasised that eradicating poverty cannot be achieved if sexual and reproductive health are not addressed. The reality is that Malta lacks reliable data on sexual behaviour and harmonised reproductive health indicators. Why is Malta still without a national policy for sexual and reproductive health? How long will these health issues remain engulfed in silence and taboo?

Immigrant population

The number of foreign migrants and their proportion to the total Maltese population has risen over the past decade, with worrying consequences. However, a number of OECD countries have recognised that migrants could make a significant contribution to individual countries' economies if they bring skills with them that are in short supply. Are we ready to give this idea a thought for the sake of Malta's sustainable development, economic growth and social cohesion?

UNICEF suggests that the countries with the lowest child poverty rates allocate the highest proportion of their GNP to social expenditures, with the share of national income devoted to unemployment benefits, family allowances and services, disability and sick benefits, housing benefits and other forms of social assistance.

It adds that the rise of the lone-parent family is one factor that is widely held to be responsible for child poverty. An overwhelming majority of single-parent households in Malta are headed by women who are largely jobless, below the age of 20 years and who live below the at-risk-of-poverty line. What is the share of Malta's social expenditure in terms of its GNP?

Work and family life

The reconciliation of work and family life is a fundamental principle of EU activity for achieving economic success. This implies placing the gendered distribution of work and care firmly on the social policy agenda, where men will be spending less time at paid work, and more time raising children, looking after the old and sick, or carrying out domestic chores. Policy debates in Malta are still dominated by the idea that reconciling work and family means improving conditions for women to do both.

Work intermittence exerts a heavy opportunity cost in terms of foregone career advancement and income, lifetime earnings, and national insurance contributions that may later bring poverty to women due to inadequate pensions. The absence of an employment record is a key risk factor to social exclusion and poverty, particularly for women, when combined with family break-up, and where old-age pension depends on work record.

Gender-based poverty

It is difficult not to see that Malta's social security system makes assumptions about family forms and gender roles that are based on traditional norms, and which trap women in dependent relations with men, and dependent on social security at marriage break-up, widowhood or in old age. Moreover, official indicators rely heavily on 'the household' or 'the family' as a measuring device of poverty, in terms of low wages, unemployment benefits, social assistance and child benefits.

Such data show little concern for the gender of those in 'the household' or 'the family', and are unable to uncover which household members benefit from household income. This is a key issue of concern for any welfare institution, as gender-neutral households may effectively disguise gender-based poverty. Malta's social security system still fails to deal adequately with women's poverty, and some of this poverty is hidden within the family where income is not shared fairly.

Malta's social policy, dominated by a tradition of policies built around the male breadwinner, where women's citizenship derives through men, is outdated. However, because the male breadwinner model is a social construct, it is open not only to change but also to total overthrow.

Malta is currently poised for a period of economic growth and sustainable development, with an improving social base. The key now is for policy makers to take this opportunity and address social cohesion with urgency and sustained action. Whether this opportunity will be used to the full remains to be seen.

This article draws on the address made by Dr Camilleri-Cassar who chaired the panel on Sustaining Social Cohesion at the national conference on Sustainable Development held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre yesterday