I refer to Charles Mangion's letter Obstacles To Women (August 8). I thank the Leader of the Opposition for taking the time to read and react to my article but he is missing the wood for the trees.

Dr Mangion seems to have overlooked the fact that primarily, I penned my opinion as a woman, and secondly as a representative of the Nationalist Party and, therefore, reassure him that I do not do skimming and am fully aware of the realities keeping women away from the workforce.

It would be refreshing to see the day when the Labour Party would desist from attempting to perfect the art of sophism and actually move on to presenting these "concrete tailor-made political actions" which will, seemingly, solve the relatively slow pace of female employment.

I reiterate once again that the government is fully conscious of the situation and understands that a great deal more needs to be done to provide laws that facilitate the return of mothers to the workforce while protecting the family unit.

Specific efforts to conquer the divide in the workforce will be addressed during this legislature but a more sensitive approach to these issues from the opposition is expected. The country, specifically the Maltese female population, calls on both political parties to acknowledge the real problems and present realistic proposals that will enable female employment rates to continue growing.