For years we have debated the pressing need for more women to enter the labour market. There are almost countless number of reasons for this and not merely economic and social ones. For an equal amount of time many have underlined the underutilised potential of women often faced with tough choices between being a “working” or “stay at home” mother. At this juncture it would be pertinent to ask, what has really changed in all this time?

In all fairness much has been achieved in terms of opportunities and training for women and the introduction of family-friendly measures in these last two decades. We must never lose sight of the fact that not so long ago Maltese women were forced to make decisive choices between their careers and taking care of a family. It would be no exaggeration to paint a stereotypical image of a woman who, bereft of any internal or external support structure, was constrained to make decisions that possibly were not her preferred ones.

So yes, things have steadily improved. Although still bumping at the bottom of the list for European female participation in the labour market, the last few years have seen an impressive rise in female participation from 32 per cent to a healthier current 40 per cent. Just in this past year when the economy created a further 3000 new jobs, five out of every six of these jobs were assigned to women. This in itself is an impressive statistic.

There are no coincidences involved. This is the result of a clear strategy that successive Nationalist administrations have implemented towards getting women into the workplace. Several initiatives such as flexi-time, tele-working and parental leave have clearly left their positive mark. Fiscal incentives and support structures such as childcare facilities are slowly becoming the order of the day. In this sense this government must be congratulated.

The government has through its public sector given a solid example of good employment practice in the field of family-friendly measures. Between 2005 and 2010 the number of employees who enjoyed some of these measures has doubled to 3,200. Unsurprisingly, eight out of every 10 of these workers were women. Furthermore, during last year alone, throughout the whole public sector (including parastatal entities and companies) 4,700 employees benefited from some of these family-friendly measures.

Another interesting fact that emerges is that from an average of around 4,400 women who give birth each year, less than half (1,700) availed themselves of maternal leave. These facts indicate the clear willingness on the part of the State to carry its weight on this issue.

The much expected extension of paid maternal leave from 14 to 18 weeks is also another significant way forward.

This has been, and remains, a hotly-contested issue. In the next couple of years, as the maternal leave is extended, this government is committed to carry the burden of financing a realistic allowance for the extended leave. A fixed weekly rate of €160 will be paid to every mother for the extended period.

Things do not look so bright in the less generous private sector. The not so muted reaction from employers’ groups and the attendant rumblings in the meetings of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development are clear evidence that women in the private sector have a long way to go to reach any comparable standards enjoyed by their colleagues in the public sector.

The ongoing recalcitrant attitude of the private sector is anything but new. Although one appreciates the present difficult and challenging economic climate, I have seen similar resistance in articles and speeches when things were much more plain sailing pre “credit crunch crisis”. In a way this sectorial unwillingness to adopt a more flexible stance will have its own consequences.

A recent study by the University’s Centre for Labour Studies has confirmed that career mothers in Malta are way behind when compared to similar working women in Europe. As more women join the workforce it is becoming increasingly clear that Malta’s fertility rate is dropping dramatically. While not forgetting that Maltese women are among the “oldest” to conceive a child (Malta’s rate is 25.8 years) our birth rate has declined to just 1.4 per female. The demographic projection for this rate suggests that within less than 50 years Malta’s population would have halved!

The study has shown that there are definitely not enough support structures for working mothers. While a majority of women (70 per cent) have at some point or other worked during their lives, a significantly smaller number do hang on to their jobs because of family considerations. More so, many women still achieve less than their full potential even when they remain at work.

This is a clarion call for the long-term sustainability of our very nation. Politics and business interests must come together to resolve this demographic and economic time bomb, bypassing short term interests for the sake of long-term gain. Only a genuine collective effort will lead to a better quality of life for working mothers and the future economic well-being of these tiny islands.

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