Gender equality in Malta : study of gender equality within the employment sector in Malta from 1994-2014

Abstract

This thesis sets out to investigate the question: how far has gender equality come within the employment sector in Malta between 1994 and 2014? This question will be researched by comparing the laws of Malta with the commonly accepted ideologies of society. This will be conducted by quantitative analysis, through the use of statistics found over that time period. The evolution of the laws of Malta will be followed to grasp the changes within the legislation of Malta. Then, labor participation, social ideologies on gender roles, views towards religion and the gender gap will be researched from the years of 1994-2014. Finally, those chapters will be compared to give a vivid image of the evolution and the current situation regarding gender equality within the labor market. Through the findings of this thesis it is clear that within Maltese society traditional gender roles are very much alive. Generally, one finds that within Maltese society women are given the roles of caretakers and homemakers. Although religion has shaped the ideologies of the Maltese people and contributed to the current situation in Malta, the Catholic faith has started to lose followers. The laws of Malta grant equal rights to both men and women, and yet, there are instances where males and females are not so. Those findings suggest that if gender equality is to be reached within Maltese society it is important to achieve a social change and educate the people about the importance of gender equality and what gender equality stands for. This thesis concludes that although Malta came a long way as regards to gender equality within their legal framework, there is still much to be done for gender equality to be reached within Maltese social ideologies.