The Budget promotes better female participation in the workplace. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Budget measures promoting female participation at work and helping out with the running of a family have been given a cautious welcome by women’s organisations.

Measures targeting women affected the entire family and there were a number of them in this year’s Budget, said Anna Borg, an academic at the University’s Centre for Labour Studies.

Setting up a breakfast club, which would allow parents to take their children to school an hour earlier, was extremely positive.

However, Dr Borg said it was important that such schemes were comprehensive.

“It’s a good move but things need to be seen as a whole – if there is a before-school service then it’s important to have after-school activities, and I didn’t hear these mentioned in the Budget,” she said.

It’s a good move but things need to be seen as a whole

The Malta Union of Teachers said they were in favour of the breakfast club but pointed out there was already a similar scheme in place “that unfortunately is underfunded and understaffed”.

It was hoped that, this time, there would be investment in the project.

It was crucial to have a seamless process that catered for all needs and not a “fragmented” approach, as otherwise it would fail, she said.

Similarly, the National Council of Women welcomed the family-friendly measures such as free childcare centres for the young children of parents who both work and for single parents.

The council said it hoped these centres would soon be available with hours that matched a full day’s work for both parents.

Council president Mary Gaerty said: “It’s important to see that the children will be well looked after and giving them a healthy breakfast will be a bonus.”

The council noted that although female participation in the labour market had increased, Malta still had one of the lowest rates and it welcomed the Budget’s fiscal measure for women aged 40 and over.

This group had a low presence in the labour market especially because these women tended to take a career break to raise their children, it said.

This Budget, through the Youth Guarantee Scheme and other scholarship schemes in higher education, will offer opportunities for young people at all levels.

“The message that work pays and people who work are rewarded comes out very strongly in the Budget speech,” Ms Gaerty added.

This was echoed by the Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations, which said it was pleased that a number of proposals it had been putting forward over recent years were taken on board – especially those that provided an incentive for women to work.

Offering free childcare would not only remove an obstacle in the way of women going to work but was an investment in early childhood education, said the confederation, an umbrella organisation representing 14 local member organisations with 24,000 female members.

This, together with the breakfast club at school, would help more parents manage their work schedules.

While pointing out that it was eager to learn more details, the confederation urged the Government to enact legislation regulating childcare centres, which “till now are still unregulated”.