The changing status of women in Malta

Abstract

Change in the status and role of women is indicative of overall change within a society. By status I mean, the collection of rights and duties, associated with polar positions in a pattern of reciprocal behavior, while roles are the dynamic aspect of status, the putting into effect of its rights and duties. Each society can be viewed as a balanced collection of statuses and roles interwoven into a particular cultural pattern. Change comes to a ·society when the cultural pattern IS altered. This can happen in two ways: (1) the number of statuses within a society can either be increased or decreased thus changing the pattern, for example, the status of midwife and the Status of marriage broker have both disappeared from Maltese society while there are many new technical statuses not in existence 100 years ago. (2) Through time the behaviors associated with a particular status and viewed as acceptable by the society in question can change. It is this change, the alteration of behavioral patterns with which I am concerned at this time.