Women will continue to earn less than men unless their partners share family responsibilities, according to a researcher with the University’s Centre for Labour Studies.
On average, women earn 84c for every men’s €1
“If women don’t demand that men contribute to family duties then we’ll be wasting our time discussing this,” Anna Borg said, reacting to the latest Labour Force Survey.
Published by the National Statistics Office the survey established that women earned at least a quarter less than men across all economic sectors – on average, women earn 84c for every men’s €1.
Ms Borg stressed that the wage gap was a very complex matter and it was not a simple definition of direct discrimination. More factors were at play – such as women working fewer hours to pick up their children from school, non-remunerated work and maternity leave, among others.
Women’s work also tended to be undervalued, earning less than men for doing jobs of equal value, she said. For example, women working on a factory production line usually earned less than male employees stacking shelves or doing more physical tasks.
These situations showed that over the course of their life men received consistent pay that increased, which women lost out on to step back from their job and take a greater role in raising a family.
“Maltese women still accept their traditional role, without realising the implications. The situation will only be resolved when both genders compete on an equal footing – unless family responsibilities are shared it’s going to be tough,” she warned.
Despite the discrepancy in earnings, Malta emerges among the best performing EU members when it comes to balance in paid work.
The Gender Pay-Gap Analysis released in March said Malta had the fourth lowest gender pay gap among member states with a difference of six per cent in 2010;one per cent lower than the previous year and much better than the EU average.
The average gender pay gap – the difference in gross hourly earnings between women and men across the economy as a whole – in the EU is much wider than Malta’s and stood at 16.4 per cent in 2010.
One company focusing on ironing out the obstacles that hinder women from pursuing their career is Fenech and Fenech Advocates, which is headed by managing partner Ann Fenech.
Not only are two-thirds of the law firm’s 88 employees women, but when Dr Fenech took the helm four years ago she introduced a very innovative working philosophy – women with newborns right up to school age were offered the chance to take their children to work.
“Women are getting married and having children later, when they would have already worked their way up the ladder, so the last thing I wanted was for them to have to choose between starting a family and their career,” she said.
Having worked her way to the top through the male-dominated sector of marine litigation with two children in tow and a busy husband, Dr Fenech understood the ordeals women faced and was determined to change the situation by providing in-house facilities.
“There is nothing nicer for a mother than to have the choice of taking her child to work, without the pressures of shuttling to grandparents,” Dr Fenech said.
“From an employer’s perspective we cannot afford to lose our employees after years of training and experience. This is a win-win solution,” she said urging other companies to emulate this example.
Dr Fenech, who has just received a prestigious maritime award, said throughout her personal journey in the working world she never encountered any form of discrimination.
“I never allowed it to cross my mind that I was less capable and I strived to excel. However, I must stress, this is my world and I do understand that gender discrimination still exists at the workplace, and it’s very painful.”
Acknowledging that direct discrimination existed, Malta Employers Association director general Joe Farrugia said the majority of employers in Malta adhered to the principle of equal pay for equal work.
Mr Farrugia did not believe women were valued less than men, but said it was important to push people into higher value-added jobs.
Although Malta had the lowest female participation rate in the EU, it was making strides forward, he said, welcoming figures that in the category of those under 30, working women in Malta were at par with their EU counterparts.
“The way forward is to make workers more aware of their rights to ensure they’re not being exploited.”