This year marks 100 years since the Representation of the People Act 1918, which allowed some women in the UK the right to vote. Votes for women have changed the political and social climate in the Western world. It will continue to do so in the next decade and beyond.

While few would question the growing importance that women have won for themselves in all spheres of life in the last century, many fret about the insufficient recognition that is given to the role of women in all fields of life. Society needs to celebrate the emancipation of women in public life. It also needs to speed up the process where women are indeed given the same opportunities as men to promote the well-being of our community.

The contribution that women gave during World War II has been recorded in various books and documentaries. Even if at the time they were not allowed on the battlefront, women not only dedicated themselves to protecting their families from famine and a thousand other risks in the most difficult of times, but often worked in factories to produce goods that were needed in the war effort.

In political life women gradually gained a foothold in all European parliaments where they frequently had to struggle to earn the respect of these male-dominated institutions. In the UK, the 1970s saw the election of the first British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. While in Malta we still have not had a woman prime minister, we’ve had two female presidents.

Women made even more impressive inroads in the professions. There was a time when our general hospital was managed mainly by Catholic nuns that were generally fully trained nurses who dedicated their lives to the well-being of their patients. Female doctors, consultants and paramedics are today the backbone of our medical care system as the caring professions continue to attract more women to their ranks.

Women also need to accept that to succeed they do not necessarily have to adopt the same tactics as their male counterparts

In education, women have undoubtedly brought about significant benefits to the system. I understand that today there are more female than male educators. While the teaching profession continues to suffer from lack of appreciation by policymakers and society in general, women educators are often as ambitious to invest in their lifelong learning skills as their male counterparts. I would even say that in most cases they are also more committed to their vocation to educate our young people.

But much more is left to be done. Despite family-friendly legislation, most women in Europe struggle to strike a balance between family commitments and career. The ‘sandwich generation’ is mainly made up of middle-aged women who often have to care for their children and ageing close relatives while holding a full-time job.

Employers need to change their mindset by acknowledging that employees, especially women, who assume specific family responsibilities at a particular stage in their career need extra support to cope. The welfare of the family of every employee is essential to business life as much as it is for society in general.

Politicians have often promoted positive discrimination to favour the breaking of the glass ceiling that often prevents women from occupying senior positions in public and business life. This policy is a controversial tactic that is not supported by all women. What is needed is a change in the way that our leaders view the role of women in society.

Ultimately, equality can only become a reality when people, whether male or female, are judged on their own merits without the blinkers that bias imposes on many, very often in an unconscious manner. Few would dispute the fact that women who have made it to the top of organisations they serve had to work twice as hard as their male counterparts to win over the support of those who had the power to promote them.

Women also need to accept that to succeed they do not necessarily have to adopt the same tactics as their male counterparts. They must be confident in their ability to look at challenges in the sphere they work in through their perspective. If this attitude can lead to better solutions, then they should proceed to adopt it with determination and full commitment.

My biggest hope is that in the coming decades women will assume more critical roles in our society. I believe that their moral compasses are far better calibrated than those of many of our current male political and business leaders.

johncassarwhite@yahoo.com