Family-friendly measures can save marriages

Marital breakdowns will increase unless family-friendly measures are introduced for working couples, according to leading sociologist Josann Cutajar.

Speaking during a University debate, entitled Is Equality A Myth, Dr Cutajar said if women were unable to pursue a career because of family commitments it would lead to frustrations on two levels: financial and professional.

“If we don’t introduce family-friendly measures, separations and divorce, if the latter is introduced, will increase because people will become more frustrated,” Dr Cutajar said.

Everyone had their goals and aspirations but sometimes one partner could achieve them without obstacles while the other had to juggle around the children, she continued.

Opportunities, like going abroad and studying could be easier to achieve if both partners pull the rope equally and more measures are in place to facilitate this.

“Equality is a myth and this is related to family,” Dr Cutajar said.

On top of this, women, or even men, who give up their job to look after the children become financially dependent on the other partner. This could be a situation they are uncomfortable or not completely happy with.

Couples had to discuss how they would split work and family between them before getting married, Dr Cutajar said, a point raised several times during the debate, organised by the students’ organisation Move.

In her opening words, Labour Party equality spokesman Helena Dalli criticised the failed move to increase maternity leave in a society that has a decreased fertility rate and a low female participation rate in the workforce.

“How do you want us to work without increasing such things as maternity leave,” Ms Dalli asked, pointing out that, in countries with longer maternity leave, more women remained in the workforce and the fertility rate was higher.

Renee Laiviera, who chairs the Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations, called for a national action plan on gender equality for a more holistic approach to tackle the issue.

Speaking about the European Commission’s suggestion to set quotas to ensure both genders were equally represented at company board level – a move that was rejected by top local business women – Dr Laiviera again voiced her support for their introduction, until there was a level playing field for both genders on the island.

Having more women in top ranking levels would ensure people in managerial positions understood the needs of the women in the company and, consequently, more family-friendly measures would be introduced, she said.