Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1066826
15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 DECEMBER 2018 NEWS Fewer women than men saw improved personal finances in 2018 KURT SANSONE WOMEN were significantly less likely than men to have seen their personal fi- nancial situation improve over the past 12 months, a MaltaToday survey has found. While 35.3% of women polled at the start of December felt that their per- sonal finances had taken a turn for the better in 2018, the vast majority (53%) reported an unchanged situation from 2017. The figures provide another facet to the gender pay gap recorded by the National Statistics Office and other research. It is estimated that women in Malta work for 'free' for almost a month-and-a-half given what they earn when compared with men. The MaltaToday survey found that 50.1% of men felt their financial situa- tion improved in 2018 when compared to the previous year. But the survey found little difference between men and women who felt their financial situation had worsened in 2018. While 11.7% of women reported worsening personal finances, there were 10.1% of men in the same predica- ment. Overall, 2018 saw people better off financially than the previous year. The survey found that 53.1% of people re- ported improved personal finances in 2018, while 36.4% said their situation was unchanged. The rest (10.5%) said their personal financial situation got worse. The biggest improvement in personal finances was registered among those aged between 36 and 50 with 49.8% in- dicating a better situation in 2018 when compared to 2017. The least likely to register improve- ment in their financial situation were those aged 65 and over with an abso- lute majority (52.8%) reporting an un- changed situation in 2018. There were 33.8% of the elderly who said 2018 saw them better off than 2017. On a regional level, financial improve- ment was highest among Gozitans with 56.9% saying their personal financial situation had improved in 2018. This was followed by the Southern Harbour region where 49.5% of people reported improved financial standing over the past 12 months. The least improvement in personal fi- nances was registered in the Northern region with 34.2% saying their situation was better off in 2018. But political allegiance also coloured the way people perceived their financial situation. While 72.6% of Labour Party voters felt, their financial situation had im- proved in 2018, only 14.9% of National- ist Party voters felt the same. A quarter of PL voters said their fi- nancial situation was unchanged from 2017 and only 2.4% said it got worse. The vast majority of PN voters (58.1%) reported an unchanged personal finan- cial situation over the past 12 months, while just over a quarter (26.9%) said it got worse. Respondents asked whether 2018 was a better year for them, financially