The changing role of Maltese females in the working world : a study of the factors contributing to the career progression of selected female workers

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to look at the progress made by women in their struggle to achieve equality in the working environment by examining history and explaining how and why this has happened, thus concluding with recommendations needed for further advancement. Hence there is the need for the reader to understand the philosophical stance taken and also the research methodology used in order to get to grips with any biases embedded in the reader's thoughts and how and why the conclusions were drawn. The journey will take the reader through a literature review of a number of papers thought to be relevant in covering this field. Starting from analysing genders and the main problems faced and ascertaining how and why this has happened, the papers cover the emancipation of women, the thoughts and ideas behind equality by various writers and also the legislations past and present aiding the achievement of the equality ideology. The literature includes areas such as skills and training, and the necessity of modern employers to diversify and have a better labour pool from where they can choose future employees. The history and culture discussion will try to provide a broad analysis of relative gender differences in Malta, including our history, culture and beliefs that existed in the past. History records the various troubles experienced during the times when the island was a colony of one or another of the major empires that existed during the course of times, all of which helped to introduce particular cultural changes in order to arrive to the latest mind-set. In most ancient cultures females were excluded from almost any outdoor activity in life. This made it very hard for women to emerge and thus be taken as a role model to follow. Since it was felt that role models are of major importance in order to set examples and precedents, part of the dissertation provides the reader with the important role models in history, with an emphasis on local women who achieved success despite living and working in a world designed for men. We then examine the Maltese legislative actions in recent history, through guidelines provided by the European Union focusing on employment policies within a gender equality dimension, which has the goal of raising the female employment ratio of the population. Prime focus goes to legislation attracting more women towards the labour pool and also helps them to achieve an optimum work life and home balance. An economic study of the past and present situation will aid the understanding of the forces that triggered legislative actions. Consequently there follows an account of the projects and policies presented and implemented by the government towards the elimination of gender discrimination. A study of recurrent ideas and modern debates shed light on certain psychological problems that still exist today which hinder the full implementation of the equality ideology. The analysis is also based on the ideas expressed through semi-structured interviews conducted with females coming from different employment levels and life paths in an attempt to conclude with recommendations on the best practises to be followed in the future. Finally, a set of conclusions are drawn and recommendations are made for policy makers on how to advocate further advancement of women's participation in the modern working world.