Gender equality action plan 2007-2008

Abstract

Work and productivity are fundamental to the economic development of our country and having a job is one of the best ways of ensuring social inclusion. Whilst the male employment rate is above EU average, Malta continues to have the lowest female employment rate when compared to the other EU 27 countries. The high inactivity rate of women amounting to 67.3% has a direct effect on the overall low employment rate of 55.5% of those aged between 15 and 64 (NSO: 1/2007). Setting up of the Gender Equality Unit in 2001, ETC has been taking a proactive approach to address this challenging situation. Culture is often put forward as being the cause of the low employment rate of women. Shared beliefs and values are an integral component of culture but that does not mean that they are static and that they do not change over time. While it may be the case that a considerable number of women do not wish to enter into gainful employment, the study with inactive women conducted by the Research and Development Unit of ETC in 2004 clearly shows that nearly half of all inactive women (44.8%) would consider working if they found the right conditions to do so. On top of this list is the need to be able to cope and combine the caring responsibilities of their family with their job. With this clear indicator in mind, the aim of this third Gender Equality Action Plan is to work with different stakeholders in order to ensure that those women who really would like to re-enter or to remain in the labour market will be able to do so. How can ETC help these women and how are we going to ensure that these women are able to work? An important prerequisite for success is that men become more actively involved in the family and share the non-remunerated work. It is therefore important to involve men in this change process. We have set ourselves a number of challenges for the coming two years. Through awareness raising, training, research, dissemination of good practices and support we want to promote the right conditions in order to permit both men and women to participate actively towards the social and economic development of our country.