International Women's Day brought with it the usual discussion about the extent of the role of women in politics. Given that the female gender makes up over half the population, what explains the disproportionate representation in male dominated parliaments? On a factual basis the question is particularly valid in Malta.

What I find far less valid is the fact that, instead of replying to the question, those who take part in the discussion tend to come up with a bent solution. One that intends to 'help' women but is, in fact, not complimentary to them at all. The so-called solution did not fail to pop this time round as well. Discriminate positively in favour of women candidates, specifically by allocating a quota of seats to them, it proposes.

Slow down, I'd say, and repeat the question - why are women under-represented in politics? The reply, I suggest, is because collectively they want it that way. Usually what women want, women get.

That is not to say that there does not remain a bias against women in general life. A large number of companies, for instance, still jib at appointing female employees to top positions. There are a number of lady CEOs, certainly, but not nearly enough in relation to the composition of the labour force. And in Malta women still have a low participation rate.

I recall that in 1986 when, as a Labour minister, I was responsible for economic planning and we were drafting a three-year development plan, I stressed to the team to explore how to increase the female participation rate. The effort is still going on today. The absolute and proportionate number of women among the gainfully occupied has increased, but not nearly enough.

It has to be much higher, both as a natural reflection of the gender allocation of the population. And also because, in the not-too- distant future, the domestic population will decline, and the dependency ratio (of retired employees upon those in employment) will grow. Some suggest without thinking too deeply that the imbalance could be made up by encouraging immigration from other lands.

I hold that the major effort should remain to encourage more women into the gainfully occupied population, and to do so on an attractive basis, not simply because married women will need to work for a family to make ends meet.

There was a time when women were barely represented in the professions. The first lady lawyer is still alive and active and the University and the courts nowadays teem with female law students and lawyers. Similarly, if maybe less so, in other professions. There are quite a number of women notaries, a profession usually very much a male preserve. In the younger accountancy profession there would be a crisis without female accountants and auditors, a number of whom have already made it to 'partner' status.

No quota was introduced in the professions. Nor was there any political quota when Agatha Barbara, Mabel Strickland, Fanny Attard Bezzina, Cecilia de Trafford Strickland, Evelyn Bonaci, Cettina Darmenia Brincat, Anne Agius Ferrante, Carmen Sant, Maria Camilleri, Rita Law and Helen d'Amato made it to Parliament, all by themselves. Myriam Spiteri Debono was appointed Speaker, and served with distinction.

The current six women Members of Parliament, including two ministers, all made it on their own steam. And how.

Giovanna Debono has dominated the island of Gozo with a smile on her face and steel in her backbone for years, and that on an island where in some churches men still pray on one side, women on the other. Dolores Cristina thrust forth in a strongly male constituency, and has just had her workload almost doubled by the Prime Minister, who clearly believes blindly in her.

The four Labour lady MPs also fared marvellously. Marie Louise Coleiro took my place in the Qormi constituency and soon enough hugely increased on the number of first preferences I used to get, which was already substantial. Along the way she read law at the University and became a notary.

Helena Dalli stormed through in two constituencies that used to be dominated by men, and in the process achieved a Ph.D. as well. Justyne Caruana won a Gozo seat at the first time of asking. Marlene Pullicino remarkably swung from being a Nationalist candidate into becoming an MP in a tough male-candidates dominated Labour district. (By the way the present able Clerk of the House is also a woman, Pauline Abela.)

The Magnificent Six did it with their own blazing guns of ability and charisma. They received no extra help from their parties. They did it their way and that way was formidable. Ask the men they beat in the process and they'll leave you in no doubt about their toughness.

Quotas would be both an artificial technique to get more women in Parliament as well as an insult to the female gender. What we really require is for politics to become more worthy of consideration.

By many more women and many more men alike. For the insults to stop and for the primary sense of serving the people through the practice of democracy to flourish.

It is not our increasingly able women who are in distress. It is politics. That is the first priority to tackle.