On the occasion of International Women’s Day, it is important to reflect on gender equality in Malta.

While it is true that a certain amount of progress has been registered in this field in the last few years – the extension of maternity leave, the provision of more and better childcare facilities – there still remains a lot to be done to ensure that the gap between the theoretical concept of gender equality and its actual practical implementation is bridged as quickly as possible.

The statistics speak for themselves. At the end of 2011, in Malta only 40 per cent of women were active in the workforce despite 60 per cent of graduates being female. Only six out of 69 members of Parliament were female. The number of women serving on a board of directors amounted to just three per cent. Female workers earned 23.25 per cent less than men.

One must also mention that some families are totally dominated by men and cases of domestic violence remain the scourge of Maltese society. Indeed, in this respect, statistics are almost meaningless because many women who are subjected to regular domestic violence do not report their abusive partners.

Let us start with taking a look at the political sphere.

Here it is obvious that women are at a great disadvantage when compared to men. What is needed is a culture change in an area where the traditional stereotype of a Maltese politician is represented by a male and not a female. Moreover, until family duties and responsibilities are equally shared by both males and females, female political candidates will remain at a considerable disadvantage. Unfortunately, it remains the norm and not the exception in many Maltese families that domestic chores and the raising of children are regarded as the sole province of the female parent.

Yes, I know that today this approach is changing in several families but let us be honest with ourselves and admit that the number of families where the father shares all or most family responsibilities with the mother remains small. This being the case, it is immensely difficult for female political candidates to find the time for such things as door-to-door campaigning and regular attendance at party political activities.

It is also a fact that there are still several people in Malta who believe that a woman’s place is in the home and that her main roles in life should be child rearing and supporting her husband or partner. It sounds unbelievable in 2012 but in Malta this is a fact of life.

The National Council of Women has called for the introduction of quotas in general and local elections. While it is true that the introduction of quotas in favour of women might be unfair to some more able male candidates’ chances of success at the polls, on the other hand it is the only realistic way to redress the imbalance that exists in the representation of women in Parliament and, to a lesser extent, in local councils.

In the world of business, I would suggest opting for the Norwegian model where at least 40 per cent of all board directors in publicly-listed companies must be female. The government must set the example in its appointments of directors for the boards of public entities and this should become the norm in private companies too.

Of course, this would require careful planning and negotiation rather than imposition. We have to ensure that women appointed to such boards would still have the high qualifications and experience necessary for posts of heavy responsibilities. Otherwise, the consequences could be disastrous at a time of economic recession.

I have already mentioned that in Malta there are still several people who look askance at women who involve themselves heart and soul in careers outside the home. It is true that several concrete measures are being taken to make it easier for women to work and to ensure that their pay is equal to that of their male counterparts. However, the fact remains that male workers greatly outnumber female ones and there is also the related issue of many male workers earning more than their female counterparts.

While appropriate government measures need to continue to be taken to encourage more female participation in the world of work and gender equality in remuneration, we have perhaps, to date, neglected the negative impact of latent cultural influences.

Women will continue to play second fiddle to men if we persist in presenting a vision of the world that seems to imply that progress throughout history has been mainly due to men. I teach history to sixth form students but I rarely encounter a praiseworthy female historical figure in most of the syllabuses.

We, therefore, have to start from the school benches. We have to give women the importance they deserve in the vision of the world that we seek to propagate.

Education is the foundation stone of gender equality.