https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/20531 2026-10-07T15:22:02Z 2026-10-07T15:22:02Z Naudi, Marceline Harwood, Mark Azzopardi Lane, Claire https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149513 2026-09-30T06:12:56Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Mapping the rainbow : researching the diverse colours of the LGBTIQ+ community (volume IV) Authors: Naudi, Marceline; Harwood, Mark; Azzopardi Lane, Claire Abstract: This publication features research papers conducted by academics, undergraduate, masters and doctoral students which primarily focus on LGBTIQ+ related topics. This publication together with its previous volumes, continues to build on the body of knowledge that is available to better educate political development and mainstreaming efforts. The eleven research papers published cover a broad range of themes, and together constitute the proceedings of an LGBTIQ+ Research Symposium held in May 2025. This project has been made possible through the collaboration between the Department of Gender and Sexualities within the Faculty for Social Wellbeing and the Institute for European Studies of the University of Malta, the Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement and the Human Rights Directorate within the Ministry for Equality and Civil Rights.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149512 2026-09-30T06:01:14Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Disabled women, violence, and the politics of the body in Malta Abstract: This paper analyses violence against disabled women in Malta through the lens of feminist disability theory, conceptualising abuse as an embodied and structurally produced phenomenon rather than as isolated acts of victimisation. Drawing on qualitative research with frontline professionals and advocates, the study examines how violence emerges at the intersection of gendered power relations, ableism, dependency regimes, and epistemic injustice. Findings show that abuse often takes cumulative and holistic forms, including emotional degradation, financial control, sexual exploitation, coercive restrictions on movement, and physical violence. Emotional and psychological abuse appear particularly pervasive, gradually reshaping women’s embodied sense of self and reinforcing internalised narratives of incapacity and unworthiness. Financial abuse, especially through guardianship arrangements and control of disability pensions, further restricts autonomy and entrenches dependency. Institutional responses may inadvertently reproduce ableist assumptions through procedures that question the credibility of disabled women’s testimonies or impose inaccessible legal processes. Rather than framing disabled women as inherently vulnerable, the paper argues that vulnerability is socially produced through legal, institutional, and cultural arrangements that regulate sexuality, mobility, and decision-making. At the same time, advocacy practices such as accompaniment, rights education, and resistance to unnecessary incapacitation illustrate forms of embodied resistance that challenge these structures and foreground disabled women as epistemic agents.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Azzopardi Lane, Claire Azzopardi, Andrew https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147473 2026-06-16T10:36:47Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Parenting under scrutiny : disability, motherhood, and the legacy of ableism Authors: Azzopardi Lane, Claire; Azzopardi, Andrew Abstract: This article examines how ableism, disablism, and structurally produced vulnerability shape disabled mothers’ experiences of pregnancy and parenting in Malta. Drawing on feminist disability studies, reproductive justice, and the social relational model of disability, the study situates disabled motherhood within enduring eugenic legacies and contemporary forms of reproductive governance that position disabled women as inherently risky, incompetent, or unfit to parent. Using a qualitative research design, in-depth interviews were conducted with four disabled mothers and two social workers working with parents with intellectual disabilities. Data were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis, informed by Thomas’s social relational model of disability and Reeve’s concept of psycho-emotional disablism.; Findings are organised around three interrelated themes: ableism, disablism, and structurally produced vulnerability. The analysis demonstrates how disabled mothers are subject to heightened surveillance, conditional recognition, and persistent scrutiny by healthcare, education, and child protection systems. These experiences are not reducible to impairment effects but are produced through inaccessible environments, deficit-based professional practices, communication barriers, and risk-averse institutional cultures. Professional narratives further reveal how vulnerability is often individualised and pathologised, obscuring the structural conditions that undermine disabled parents’ autonomy and rights.; Situated within Malta’s conservative reproductive regime and small-state welfare context, the study contributes empirical insight into how global disability inequalities are locally enacted. The article argues for a shift towards rights-based, disability-justice-informed parenting policies and practices that recognise disabled parents as legitimate, competent, and rights-holding individuals.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/146220 2026-05-07T11:39:12Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Promoting gender equality at the University of Malta Abstract: This chapter examines the evolution of gender equality measures at the University of Malta, tracing key changes driven by institutional, national, and transnational influences. Historically, the University was a masculine stronghold, with minimal female representation until the 20th century. Significant progress began with the implementation of inclusive education policies in the 1970s, the establishment of the Gender Issues Committee, and the introduction of feminist academic programmes spearheaded by pioneering academics like Mary Darmanin. These efforts were amplified by Malta’s alignment with European Union regulations, which mandated gender equality policies.; Feminist institutional theory provides the framework for this analysis, highlighting the interplay of formal and informal rules in shaping gender norms. A diachronic-synchronic methodology is employed to understand the incremental policy changes and their immediate impacts. Despite advancements, systemic barriers persist, such as underrepresentation of women in STEM fields, leadership roles, and decision-making bodies, reflecting enduring cultural biases and structural inequities. Female academics often face career stagnation due to disproportionate involvement in teaching and administrative tasks which detract from the time that can be devoted to research.; This chapter underscores the critical role of feminist activism, strategic leadership, and international influences in fostering gender equity in higher educational institutions. It concludes with a call for comprehensive institutional reforms, including unconscious bias training, equitable promotion criteria, and continued advocacy to dismantle systemic barriers and promote diversity in higher education.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z