Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1531100
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 5 JANUARY 2025 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt A Eurobarometer survey sug- gests that traditional patriarchal values remain deeply entrenched in Malta with 63% of people be- lieving women should prioritise family over career. This is nearly double the EU av- erage of 34% and among the high- est across the EU, alongside Hun- gary (64%) and Slovakia (63%). It also stands in stark contrast to the Netherlands (10%), Sweden (12%), and Finland (13%). Additionally, 69% of Maltese respondents agree that family life suffers when mothers work full- time, compared to 51% across the EU. While this represents an 8-point decline in Malta since 2014, it remains significantly above the EU average. In Finland, only 16% subscribe to this view. Traditional views about gender roles persist, with 46% of Mal- tese respondents agreeing that a woman's most important role is to care for her home and family, compared to 38% in the EU. Simi- larly, 44% of Maltese respondents believe a man's primary role is to earn money—an 8-point increase in Malta since 2014, contrasting with a slight decline across the EU. Greater acceptance of stay-at- home dads On parental roles, 61% of Mal- tese respondents agree that if the father's pay is lower than the mother's, he should stop working to care for the children, compared to an EU average of 51%. This represents a 29-point increase in Malta since 2014. Meanwhile, 79% of Maltese respondents be- lieve that taking parental leave is enriching for fathers. Beliefs about household tasks are also shifting, with the per- centage of Maltese respondents agreeing that men are naturally less competent than women de- creasing by 11 points since 2014, even though 44% still hold onto this stereotype. Gender equality Malta leads the EU in terms of perceptions of gender equali- ty in education and healthcare. About 85% of Maltese respond- ents believe men and women are treated equally in schools, the highest proportion in the EU. Similarly, 85% believe med- ical staff treat men and wom- en equally, on par with Portu- gal and Greece. Seventy-seven percent also think that women have the same chance of being promoted as men. Feminism has gone too far Scepticism toward feminism is evident in Malta, with 61% agreeing that "feminism has gone too far," compared to 45% across the EU. This sentiment is highest in Cyprus (63%), Malta (61%), and Slovenia (55%). In contrast, more than half disa- gree that feminism has "gone too far" in Sweden (63%), the Netherlands (61%), and Germa- ny (56%). Majority oppose gender quotas The survey also showed that only 34% of Maltese respond- ents agree that temporary measures, such as quotas, are necessary to address gender im- balances in politics, compared to 55% across the EU. In con- trast, 62% of Maltese respond- ents oppose such measures, one of the highest rates in the EU. This resistance suggests a sig- nificant gap between policy and public opinion. Malta intro- duced the Gender Corrective Mechanism in 2021 to increase women's representation in par- liament by reserving additional seats if one gender constitutes less than 40% of elected MPs. This mechanism was first used in the 2022 general election and 12 women were elected to par- liament in this way. But despite widespread dis- agreement with quotas, the Maltese recognise that wom- en are treated less fairly than men in politics. Only 14% think women are treated better than men, while 42% believe men are treated better. Despite this aversion to cor- rective mechanisms, 58% of Maltese respondents believe that having more women in pol- itics leads to better policy deci- sions, close to the EU average of 60%. However, stereotypes persist, with 68% of Maltese respondents perceiving men as more ambitious in politics than women—a 31-point increase since 2017 and significantly higher than the EU average of 47%. Moreover, 27% of Maltese re- spondents agree that men make better leaders than women, slightly above the EU average of 25%. Three-quarters (75%) of Mal- tese respondents also believe that women, in general, are more likely than men to make decisions based on their emo- tions, compared to an EU aver- age of 62%. This perception has remained unchanged in Malta since 2014, while it has declined by seven percentage points across the EU. The survey was published at the end of December and was based on data collected in the first two months of 2024. LEVEL OF AGREEMENT WITH GENDER STEREOTYPES (%) Malta Change from 2014/17 EU Change from 2015/17 Women are more likely than men to make decisions based on their emotions 75 0 62 -7 The most important role of a man is to earn money 44 8 42 -1 The most important role of a woman is to take care of her home and family 46 0 38 -6 It is equally important for women and men to be financially independent 88 NA 90 NA For important family decisions men should have a final say 10 NA 20 NA Having children is more fulfilling for a woman than for a man 21 NA 43 NA It is unattractive for women to express strong opinions in public 12 NA 23 NA Feminism has "gone too far" 61 NA 45 NA All in all, family life suffers when the mother has a full time job 69 -8 51 -9 Overall, men are naturally less competent than women to perform household tasks 44 -11 49 -1 Women should give priority to their family responsibilities over their career 63 NA 34 NA Men taking parental leave show a lack of ambition for their career 20 NA 19 Women are less interested than men in positions of responsibility in politics 42 -2 35 1 Men are more ambitious than women in politics 68 31 47 12 Temporary measures (eg quotas) are necessary to overcome the existing underrepresentation of women in politics 34 NA 55 NA Having more women in politics leads to better policy decisions 58 NA 60 NA Men make better leaders than women 27 NA 25 NA Traditional patriarchal values remain deeply entrenched in Malta The Eurobarometer survey found that 69% of Maltese respondents agree that family life suffers when mothers work full-time