Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1208901
12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 FEBRUARY 2020 OPINION ANOTHER woman was killed because a man could not cope with her rejection. It is a testimony to the cultural and welfare deficits in concur- rent Maltese society. Culture, because people feel the pressure to live up to broad- ly accepted and deeply ingrained values and lifestyles. Some of these include living up to stere- otypes they have been exposed to through various sources, ranging from sacred and con- servative to profane, secular and irreverent, from the Bible to pornography, from the Curia to Parliament. Gender stereotypes are rife and rampant. Setting in motion the country's various reformative balls rolling has been laudable. They include legislating an electoral gender corrective mechanism, pursuing research through the European Observatory on Femicide, and championing the fight against the gender pay gap. The urgent need to act, and to act fast is unquestionable. But not without giving due atten- tion to the mitigation of what are the collaterals of rapid social change. And one of these collat- erals is "anomic maladaptation", which has turned out to be le- thal. What contributes to anomic maladaptation is the mismatch between norms and values in- to which we are socialised, and what a changing society starts expecting. So expecting people (male, fe- male and beyond) to unlearn our galvanised gender stereo- types – just because relevant authorities argue that these are politically or morally incorrect – is unrealistic! Enhancing our adaptation to such societal changes requires embedding gender equity across the board, from compulsory to further and higher education but also with continuous profes- sional development, adult learn- ing and community-based pro- grammes that include religious groups, political parties, etc. Particularly in Malta, poli- cies and practices targeting increased gender equity and fighting gender-based violence, would obtain higher rates of success if accompanied by en- hanced social welfare measures. Because, (please don't just)… hear, hear: we have women who, contrary to national trends, are not managing to overcome ma- terial deprivation, and risk of poverty and social exclusion. Statistics show there are more women than men in this situa- tion across all age groups, with the highest gender discrepan- cy among those of ages 55 and over. Indeed, Malta also has one of the poorest maternity, paterni- ty and parental leave provisions across the EU. And what we want is more bonded and involved fathers. But employment law wants fa- thers back to work after a few days of childbirth; otherwise they have to rely on vacation or unpaid leave. Incentives for male-dominat- ed industries to provide child- care and afterschool services on their premises or nearby would facilitate men's contribution to childcare. These would also boost chances of enhanced gen- der representation in the sector because more mothers would also be incentivised to seek em- ployment in such industries. In some cases, Malta still dis- criminates between state-fund- ed entitlement of children to childcare and child develop- ment services on the basis of parental employment status. For instance, two-parent but single-earner families interested in registering children for the state-funded 'Bridge Holidays' service cannot do so – not even against payment [the bridge hol- idays service allows parents to enjoy the benefits of the Klabb 3-16 offered by the Foundation of Educational Services, during school holidays]. Yet public responses to pro- posals advocating broadening access to such services often fea- ture critiques that demonise re- spective mothers as being more interested in their nail art than staying with their children. And when engaged in public fora, such as politics, women are more likely to receive critiques underpinned by sexual (and sex- ist) references when compared to their male counterparts. A male politician's competence may be poorly rated, but it is rarely associated with sexual- ised attributes – physical or be- havioural. Often women in public fo- ra are implicitly and explicitly censored for looking 'too femi- nine' (as generally understood), otherwise their being taken se- riously will be jeopardised. And this is a view which implies that the onus of where interlocutors' thoughts wander whilst listen- ing to a woman talking, is on the woman and her choice of attire! On a more personal level, some shelter facilities ask wom- en to leave if accompanied by a male child who turns 16. Some women endure domestic vio- lence (spuriously) thinking it might be better absorbed by their children if they are older, only to find they might need to choose between living with their children, or seeking shelter. Women are then punished by other restrictions that affect them physically which have enormous life-changing conse- quences. Maria Brown Chantelle was stabbed by Justin… and our cultural and social welfare deficits Dr Maria Brown lectures in adult and community-based education at the University of Malta mbrown1919@gmail.com Accused: Justin Borg has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Chantell Chetcuti Women in public fora are implicitly and explicitly censored for looking 'too feminine' ... otherwise their being taken seriously will be jeopardised. And this is a view which implies that the onus of where interlocutors' thoughts wander whilst listening to a woman talking, is on the woman and her choice of attire! Horrific murder: Chantelle Chetcuti was murdered by her estranged partner and father of her two children in an argument outside a Zabbar establishment on Sunday 2 February