By now most Maltese have come to recognise that when Prime Minister Joseph Muscat uses superlatives he usually means the very opposite. It has taken us a while to recognise this, but the ‘best Cabinet in history’ is now accepted as ‘the most corrupt one in history’.

Similarly, Muscat in 2013 promised us the most feminist government in the history of Malta. Fast forward to 2017 and official statistics show that the gender gap and gender conditions in Malta have taken a shockingly strong downturn.

For all the clichés Muscat spewed before the last election, his party in government has failed miserably even on this pressing issue.

Women’s International Day, celebrated today, is when we celebrate the progress that we have made for a more inclusive, gender-equal world.

One would be forgiven to assume that in 2017 in an EU member state this would no longer be an issue. However the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women in Malta have been placed on the back burner by a government which fails to recognise the importance of true equality between men and women.

It would have been bad enough for a status quo of facts after Muscat’s feminist statement, but what has made matters worse, is that things have been allowed to slip dangerously backward.

The World Economic Forum affirms my claims in The Global Gender Gap Report for 2016. When compared to its 2013 counterpart, the results make for shocking reading and make one despair. So much work, energy and effort invested in our country’s institutions to reduce the gender gap to have it all go down the drain in such a short period of time.

Maltese women have tried and tested Labour for being pro-female and Labour has failed dismally

According to the report, Maltese women have in the last four years gone down no less than 24 places in ranking in a report that includes key indicators such as salaries, women’s health, education, political empowerment, workforce participation and leadership roles among others. For the first time ever, we stand at the lowest scale ever and the decline has even been registered in education!

This is simply unacceptable and is a clarion call to government that the gender gap in Malta is widening at an alarming rate.

Labour in government has failed Maltese women on oh so many accounts: a decline in women on government boards, a disgraceful downgrade in salary equality between males and females and a decrease in educational achievements.  Far from the damning statistics in black on white, the harsh reality is that young females are struggling more than ever to achieve the quality of life they have been led to expect.

It is no longer a case of smashing through the proverbial glass ceiling but more so one of struggling to survive in a society which seemingly expects women to earn less than men, do more unpaid domestic work, raise children silently while holding a full time job and yet face discrimination when it comes to progression at the workplace. This is compounded by a housing nightmare which drives young couples to either fork out huge monthly leases or loan payments.

No wonder that in the healthy life expectancy of the Global Gender Gap Index, Malta’s position for women has tumbled down 45 places!

Some swift and tough decisions need to be taken if we intend to reverse this embarrassing situation. I seriously doubt that Labour in government will now deliver and any fresh pledges will simply be yet again pre-electoral words of insurance. Maltese women have tried and tested Labour for being pro-female and Labour has failed dismally.

It will be up to a new Nationalist administration to pick up the pieces and continue with the sterling work it had started to ensure that women’s place in Maltese society is guaranteed.

The Leader of the Nationalist Party, Simon Busuttil has already started this silent revolution within the party structures. I augur that he will take this onwith much uproar to the Premier role he so richly deserves, if anything for showing us with fact and not fiction just how highly he thinks of the potential of Maltese women.

info@carolinegalea.com

Caroline Galea is a Nationalist Party general election candidate on the fourth district.