Perceptions and attitudes of women and men in Malta towards work-life balance : with a specific focus on family size

Abstract

In the context of the country experiencing high female and male employment rates, sustained high work-family conflict, and the lowest (1.08) Total Fertility Rate (TFR) among EU member states, this study focuses on Work-Life Balance issues and how these can impact on the perceptions and attitudes of women and men in Malta towards fertility intentions. Using the gender lens, the study explores the challenges in reconciling paid work with family commitments and looks at the desired support measures and related issues that can diffuse work-family conflicts and encourage women and men to have (more) children. Stratified random sampling was used to obtain a representative sample of 600 women and men from the 18-39 age group. The data was captured via a telephone survey and was concluded in early 2024. Findings indicate that on average, women report wanting two children and men 1.86 as their personal ideal, averaging at 1.93 overall. This is higher than the current TFR. Challenges in reconciling work and childcare responsibilities were evident and revealed significant gender disparities, with work family-conflict disproportionately negatively affecting mothers and their fertility intentions. Younger cohorts reported more sensitivity to such imbalances. In order to identify the services or measures which would support women and men to have (more) children, an evaluation of current family leaves, including Maternity, Paternity and Parental Leave revealed dissatisfaction with both the duration and compensation levels of existing policies, and called for longer and well-paid leave, including a new leave for parents when their children are sick. The study also revealed a strong demand for Temporal and Spatial flexibility to improve work-life balance. Finally, better financial support to families was also indicated as one of the means to encourage respondents to have more children. Overall, the study emphasises the importance of multi-level holistic interventions at the macro, meso and micro level to address the challenges impacting on work-life balance and fertility rates in Malta.