W.In D. - Women In Development

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• W.In D. - Women In Development
• Malta
  Case Study
• Doriana Bezzina
• Final Conference
• Rome, 13th December 2007

With the support of the European Union
Programme concerning the Community framework
strategy on gender equality (2001-2005).
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The Local Context

• Historical Perspective Legislative Framework
• 1947 Women were given the right to vote.
• 1967 Single women employed in the public sector
  were given the right to the same pay as men.
• A few years later the right for the same pay was
  also extended to the private sector of the
  economy.
• 1981 Women working in the public sector were
  allowed to retain their employment after marriage.

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Legislative Framework

• 1991 The Constitution was amended, allowing
  redress against discrimination based on sex, and
  allowing for the possibility of special temporary
  measures to be introduced with the aim to
  accelerate de facto equality between the sexes.
• 1993 Amendments to the Family Law gave men and
  women equal rights and responsibilities in
  marriage, and legalised the joint administration
  of property acquired after marriage.
• 1993 The Local Councils Act was established.

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Legislative Framework

• 2003 The Employment and Industrial Relations
  Act stated that harassment on the grounds of
  gender is illegal. Simultaneously, regulatory
  conditions of employment advocating
  family-friendly measures were introduced.
• 2004 The National Commission for the Promotion
  of Equality for Men and Women (NCPE) was set up
  as a result of the Equality for Men and Women Act
  (2003). NCPE is currently the national machinery
  which spearheads gender equality issues.
• 2006 The Domestic Violence Act was enacted.

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Labour Market

• Female Employment Rate
• During 2007, statistics issued from the National
  Statistics Office show that female employment has
  increased by 3,000.

2005 2006 2007
33.7 34.9 35.5
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Education

• School children in the Maltese Islands share the
  same national minimum curriculum. As the
  curriculum implies, education is fundamental for
  the social moulding of children.
• Between 1943 and 1964, females enrolled at the
  University of Malta were less than 100 in total.
  Up to two decades ago, locally only 20 per cent
  of university students were females. In the
  scholastic year 2003-2004 women constituted 55.8
  per cent of those attending university. In the
  same academic year the proportion of female
  graduates was 57.1 per cent. Nowadays, female
  graduates lead male graduates by seven percentage
  points.

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Local Development Orientations

• The Maltese Government, national agencies and
  voluntary organizations have committed themselves
  into putting effort to strengthen existing
  policies, programmes, awareness-raising and
  actions aimed at fostering womens participation
  in social and public life, the equal sharing of
  familial responsibilities, and a guarantee of
  genuine equality rather than only formal
  equality, whilst promoting the individual as the
  focal point of society.

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Local Development Orientations

• One of the strategies adopted to combat
  unemployment is to provide career guidance,
  training and sensitisation sessions both at
  central and at local level.
• The Employment and Training Corporation (ETC)
  offers a number of courses addressed in
  particular to the segment of the population who
  is unemployed and inactive from the labour
  market.
• The Employment and Training Corporation works in
  collaboration with local councils to offer
  courses to people who are unemployed and to the
  general public who are willing to take up lessons
  on a particular theme.

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Research Analysis

• The research conducted involved a number of
  interviews/questionnaires with key people in the
  area of gender equality, representing a number of
  areas
• Highlights of the interviews/questionnaires
• The need for the same opportunities open to be
  able to participate fully in the social,
  political, economic and cultural life of that
  particular society
• A number of women are now able to participate in
  public, political, economic and cultural life.
• At legislation level gender equality is supported
  and public awareness about the matter has also
  increased.
• There is still a need for a change in culture.
• Gender equality is still not very much reflected
  in Maltese society.
• The balance between familial responsibilities and
  the professional responsibilities
• Men still seen as main breadwinners vs women
  viewed as primary care-givers

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Local Development Policies

• The replies received show that 18 localities or
  local councils answered out of a total of 68
  councils, amounting to 26 percent.
• It is as yet too early to see the translation of
  such information directly into the councils
  actions.
• On a positive note, change is already being
  manifested. A number of local councils have
  expressed their desire to work with national
  authorities.

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Good Practices

• The good practices chosen for the scope of this
  research project were the following
• Gharb Local Council
• Nadur Local Council
• San Lawrenz Local Council
• Birkirkara Local Council
• Zejtun Local Council

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Gharb Local Council

• Partners in a project entitled Equalabel, where
  the lead partner is Spain.
• The four project objectives are the following
• Analysis of the interaction between the local
  public services and gender equality.
• Re-definition of the role of the local public
  services in the promotion of gender equality.
• Contribution to the necessary change of
  mentalities allowing the construction of a new
  culture of equality which is not determined by
  gender stereotypes by means of the revision of
  the local socialisation process.
• Establishment of a stable transnational network,
  management and evaluation of its actions.

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Nadur Local Council

• During the summer months a child-care centre is
  open for children (For ages3yr -6yr) during
  weekdays morning hours for four days a week.
• When the child-care centre was officially opened,
  it used to operate twice weekly, but because of
  the increase in demand, the opening days were
  extended from two to four.
• Persons employed during the summer months to look
  after, and organise programmes and activities for
  the children attending the child-care centre are
  teachers and facilitators.
• Work closely with the school, and educational
  ambience is offered to the children.
• Wherever possible, in subcommittees and other
  established committees they try to create a
  gender balanced team. The roles given in such
  committees are not gender segregated and every
  member is assigned a role in accordance with
  their abilities.

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San Lawrenz Local Council

• Childcare Centre operating since July 2002
• A hall was decorated to attract children, with
  particular emphasis being placed on safety.
• 2 Assistants were employed, and are responsible
  for the running of the childcare centre.
• Operational costs are high, but they believe that
  children can develop their socialisation skills
  and that parents should not be obliged to
  delegate their childrens care on relatives.
• Demand for more opening days than the two days in
  which the childcare centre is open.
• Create networks with other entities, such as the
  Kempinski Hotel to give priority to the
  residents of San Lawrenz in recruitment.
• A number of women who were never in paid
  employment before were given the opportunity to
  participate in the formal economy.

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Zejtun Local Council

• Along the years work was focused on
• Improving the effective and pro-active role women
  should take in all spheres of local community.
• Raising awareness on the important contribution
  women give to society and to the locality, and
  build an appreciation of the role of women as
  being equally important to the role men place in
  society.
• Creating facilitative situations where women are
  given the opportunity to develop their
  potentialities both in family life and in the
  employment sector.
• Involving women directly in several courses, not
  only to use their free time on an educational
  initiative but also to further develop their
  talents and their potential.
• Worked on the creation of activities related to
  womens health.

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Zejtun Local Council

• Gender Mainstreaming throughout the
  identification of problems, and the
  decision-making process
• As a council, positive action is adhered to in
  situations where women lag behind.
• Work on strengthening the inalienable right of
  women to develop further their studies and their
  career path.
• Child Day Care Centre Through the establishment
  of such centre, women who choose to further their
  studies or who opt to participate actively in the
  employment sector will have a guarantee that
  their children are in a modern, safe, highly
  equipped and accessible centre during the day.
  The Child Care Centre is still being built.
• The main limitation felt is the need to have more
  financial aid, more cooperation with central
  authorities who have an interest in gender
  equality, and more partners who are ready to work
  closely with the Council so that the Centre will
  be ready to start operating on a regular basis.

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Birkirkara Local Council

• The Birkirkara Local Council is entrenched
  towards safeguarding equality through the
  initiation of measures which promote such aspect.
  
• The idea behind such measures is that parents
  could choose freely on family and work, and their
  choices would not be to the detriment of their
  children.
• A new childcare centre was officially
  inaugurated on the 3rd of November in the
  locality of Birkirkara in a partnership between
  the local council and the government.

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Birkirkara Local Council
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Birkirkara Local Council
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• National Commission for the Promotion of Equality
• Gattard House, National Road,
• Blata l-Bajda, HMR 9010, MALTA
• Tel [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• gender.equality_at_gov.mt
• www.equality.gov.mt