Striking maternity balance

Motherhood is a right that should be enjoyed by all women who opt to have children and raise a family. The enjoyment of this most natural of rights should not exclude women from seeking a fulfilling career and earning a living.

Article 7 of the Constitution lays down that the "the state recognises the right of all citizens to work and shall promote such conditions as will make this right effective". The right to work is enshrined in the Constitution and should be enjoyed equally by men and women, including mothers.

Over the past 40 years the state has legislated in favour of equal treatment. On getting married, up till the 1960s, women were supposed to forego their positions in the public sector.

Since then we have come a long way. Various measures, including the introduction of maternity leave, its extension to 14 weeks upon Malta's EU membership and the narrowing gap in pay between genders, have all helped increase the number of women in the labour market.

Combining work with the care of children and other family members is increasingly becoming a major issue for both women and men. The division of responsibilities at home is still very unequal, making it even harder for women to embark on a career of their own. Only 67 per cent of women with young children in the EU are in employment, compared with 92 per cent of men.

In Malta's case, it has been established that women are most likely to be working between 25 and 34, where 60 per cent of women are in employment. It is also important to note that this is also the age group to which most children are born - 2,708 of the 4,126 babies in 2008.

Initiatives introduced by the government in recent years have reaped the desired dividends, with thousands of mothers re-joining the workforce. A total of 3,652 mothers enjoyed a year's tax break which amounted to €3.2 million. Thousands of others are paying €1,000 less in taxes on their incomes because they are using childcare facilities. Such initiatives are meant to encourage women to work.

At the same time, we believe that any new legislation should not put undue financial pressure on employers. The government is committed to safeguarding the interests of employers and to encourage them to increase employment. As of this year, for instance, employers will be incentivised to provide childcare facilities for their employees.

In this context the government is seeking an agreement on how to implement the EU Directive on the extension of maternity leave to 18 or 20 weeks, and the new rules on paternity leave. We want to ensure that progress achieved so far in the area of gender equality is sustained and further developed.

Recently, I had the chance to discuss the findings of a report drafted by the Maltese Business Bureau (MBB) on the 'Estimation of the Costs to the Maltese Economy of Implementing EU Legislative Proposals related to Maternity and Paternity Leave'.

In this report, the MBB try to quantify the costs and the effects that the implementation of this directive will have on the business sector. In the coming weeks I will be meeting other stakeholders to discuss their respective stands on this directive.

The position adopted on this issue by the government at EU level is very straightforward: Malta welcomes the proposal to revise the Maternity Leave directive but it has concerns on its possible impact because it would be inappropriate and unrealistic to take a one-size-fits-all approach.

The systems in member states differ greatly: Maltese mothers have a right to 14 weeks' maternity leave on full pay. Dutch and German mothers have 16 weeks. Other countries, like the UK, provide longer periods of maternity leave on less pay. Moreover, in some member states the allowance is paid by employers and in others it is paid from state funds.

Malta has always maintained that any compromise on the length of maternity leave and the level of pay should seek to strike a balance between the different national systems. Besides, any extension of the maternity leave period should be gradual to minimise the impact on employers.

We believe that the EU has to address the issue by seeking the right balance between the rights of working mothers and the interests of employers. Our energy should be focused on increasing the number of women participating in the labour market or managing their own business, while enjoying an improved quality of life through a better balance between work and family life.

Working women should not be penalised in any way for being mothers.

Dr Said is Parliamentary Secretary for Public Dialogue and Information.