Family-friendly measures, that encourage parents to work while raising their children, may need to be extended to help them further their studies, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.

He was reacting to a series of recommendations made by various women, from different walks of life, during an event held at the Auberge de Castille, Valletta yesterday evening to mark Women's Day.

One of the women present explained that she was a single mother who was finding it difficult to juggle her family commitments with her job and her studies.

She was reading for a Masters but explained that she wished she had more government support to help her achieve her goals.

Several other women shared their experiences and spoke about their life choices. Many spoke about the fulfilment they got from their jobs that ranged from farming to teaching, taxi driving, engineering, law and architecture.

Some expressed how they felt at par with their male colleagues while others felt they were sometimes treated differently because of their gender. While some women were glad to have given up their job to raise their children, others were postponing childbirth for their careers.

Dr Gonzi reiterated that Malta had progressed in terms of women's participation in the job market but there was still more to be done to encourage women to keep working.