Empowering the working mother

The well-known actress Sophia Loren once said: "When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child."

In our society, this saying resonates louder than ever, especially at a time when mothers are re-entering the work force in larger numbers. Although not new to Malta, working mothers still face difficulties when balancing work and motherhood. In the 21st century, one would think this is old news but in Malta it is still very much a reality.

Indeed, the term working mother in this country is a misnomer seeing that Maltese mothers have always worked hard at running their households and raising their families. They have gone from being wives to being mothers and managers of their houses. In truth, today, in most cases, mothers who choose to work outside the home often still cope with their duties at home plus their added responsibilities at the place of work. Although the trend is shifting, it is more of a culture change that one has to contend with.

Successive Nationalist governments have recognised that times have changed and have reacted accordingly. Nationalist governments have recognised the essential role that women play not only in society but also in our economy. Nationalist governments have consistently worked towards the creation of the necessary structures in order to facilitate mothers who wish to work.

It is a fact that the number of initiatives taken by the Nationalist government has encouraged the participation of mothers in our economy. To date, up to 3,700 mothers have benefitted from a tax reduction on re-entering the work force or continuing to work after the birth of their child. One must also credit the tax holidays scheme for those women re-entering the work force after an absence of at least five years, a scheme based on the number of children, as well as tax incentives on fees paid on sports activities and fees paid by parents who send their children to private schools.

Tax incentives are fine. However, it takes more to persuade a mother to juggle family life with working life. In truth, a mother needs to leave home to work, be it for financial or personal reasons. On the other hand, mothers are often plagued by guilt for not being fully there for their children.

Recognising this maternal necessity and reality, the government has worked hard to ensure that the transition to the working world is smooth and cushions the effects on the children. Flexi-work and teleworking, together with a host of other measures that include longer maternity leave, parental leave and career breaks, have already proved their worth, attracting more mothers back to work.

The government has not stopped there but has ensured that children have a safe and caring place where to play until their parents come home from work. We have done this because we are aware that Maltese parents can no longer take for granted the help of their mothers in the raising of their children because, many times, they themselves work. More child care centres and a new concept of Clubs for 3-16 year olds have been opened in order to fill this newly-created gap in the fabric of our society.

Take-up within the private sector may not be so pronounced. However, there are a number of private companies and firms that have proactively introduced a number of positive measures to facilitate the working mother. Let us bring them to the forefront and give them the right forum where they can explain and communicate their philosophy to others. Let us make sure they are "rewarded" for their pro-activeness.

All in all, one must say that this government has always recognised the importance of the family and, most especially, the importance of the mother within the nucleus of the Maltese family structure. Make no mistake, however, our society has changed and so have our mothers. Let us ensure we keep on building and refining the structures to ensure they too can fulfil their roles within our societies not merely as mothers but also as contributors to our growing economy.

Dr Portelli is president of the Nationalist Party's executive council.