Historical approach to feminism and its changing effects on Maltese society, focusing between 1960s-1990s

Abstract

This dissertation aims to analyse the development of women’s movements for equality in Malta, with specific reference to the sixties, seventies and eighties. These decades are well established as the years when women and gender issues became part of the political agenda internationally, particularly in the West. In particular this work tackles the question of whether and how far Malta was influenced by the Second Wave of Feminism: where Maltese women aware of feminists such as Betty Friedan, or Ann Oakley, who challenged the patriarchal status quo and questioned traditional gender roles? The dissertation tried to better understand the issues and inequalities Maltese women faced in society, and how promoters of women’s issues fought for a change in society. The first chapter delves into the history of the term feminism, reflecting on how the term has changed drastically from the origins of the term in the nineteenth century. The chapter also highlights the events which led to Maltese women obtaining the right to vote in 1947. The following chapter critically reviews the National Council of Women, which was set up in 1964 and is still an active women’s organisation. The third and final chapter focuses upon the Min-Naħa Tan-Nisa pressure group, especially during the years 1980 to 1987, when the group was most active through their campaigns and policies. The chapter also looks into the changing mentality of Maltese society and attitudes towards issues such as birth control, domestic violence and Maltese legal codes concerning family life.