Malta has the lowest percentage of women with disabilities in full-time employment, according to the European Institute for Gender Equality, which believes such individuals are doubly disadvantaged.
Marking the International Day of People with Disabilities, the European institute is throwing a spotlight on the challenges women with disabilities face because of their gender and disability.
Women with disabilities are less likely to have a university degree and work outside the home while they experience a higher risk of poverty. Due to gender stereotypes, the bulk of caring responsibilities and housework often falls on their shoulders it notes.
In Europe, only 13 per cent of women with disabilities have a tertiary degree, compared to 29 per cent of women without disabilities. Men with disabilities (17 per cent) are also less likely to have graduated from tertiary education than men without disabilities (27 per cent).
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Institute director Virginija Langbakk insisted that gender equality had to reach everyone to have a more inclusive Europe: “Barriers to education, employment and health services for people with disabilities must be removed.”
Less likely to have a university degree and work outside the home
The institute’s most recent data about disability also shows that while full-time equivalent (FTE) employment stood at 40 per cent for women and 56 per cent for men, it was only 19 per cent for women with disabilities and 28 per cent for men with disabilities.
Malta fares the worst when it comes to women with disabilities because only six per cent are in FTE employment, as are 18 per cent of men with disabilities.
When it comes to poverty, 18 per cent of women and a quarter of men with disabilities in Malta are at risk. Both figures are higher than for women and men without disabilities – 15 per cent of women and 13 per cent of men without disabilities are at risk of poverty.
Meanwhile, five per cent of women with disabilities have attained a tertiary degree, compared to seven per cent of men with disabilities. These figures are much lower than those for people without disabilities, where both 18 per cent of women and men hold a tertiary degree.
Data also show that very few women and men with disabilities assess their health as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ (only two per cent for women and four per cent for men with disabilities).
These figures are significantly lower than those for women and men without disabilities – 82 per cent and 84 per cent respectively.