Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1544097
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 MARCH 2026 Women in politics on an equal footing THERE remains no iota of doubt Malta has, during the past few years, made great strides to- wards the goal of achieving a gender balance at all levels of the political field. Maltese wom- en have been featuring prom- inently in the decision-making process within the local and re- gional councils, as well as inside our highest institution – Parlia- ment. The same advance has been witnessed in the case of national associations, organisa- tions and agencies. When the first local council elections were held way back in 1993/94, women's representa- tion reached a meagre 13.5%. Thirty years on, in the 2024 elec- tions, the figure had gone up to 28.2% - a positive trend but still a far cry from what would be the ideal gender balance. This has emerged from a study commissioned to the University of Malta by the Government as part of a wide initiative to induce more women to participate in politics and decision-making at all levels of Maltese society. The study was carried out under the supervision of Professors Car- men Sammut and Vincent Mar- marà. It clearly showed there is still a long road ahead and a lot of work still to be done for the equality and inclusivity process to adequately address the gen- der balance issues. The results of the study, a 2022 electoral pledge in the Labour Party manifesto "Malta Flimkien", were issued during a conference by the Parliamen- tary Secretary for Local Govern- ment Alison Zerafa Civelli and the Parliamentary Secretary for Equality and Reforms Rebecca Buttigieg. Parliamentary Secretary Ze- rafa Civelli said in Parliament there were several women MPs, including herself, who started their political career in Local Councils. She explained the political world cannot be said to be balanced without the presence of women at all gov- ernance levels. She also spoke on the importance of "steering society away from stereotypes and towards inclusion", adding "we now have a clear picture of the hurdles women have to overcome before they agree to be nominated as candidates for local council elections." Zerafa Civelli also explained how the gender imbalance en- sues in the awkward situation where while the number of participating women in various local councils is substantial, in several others it is completely lacking. In the 2024 local council elections, some of the localities did not even feature any female candidates. She described women as the backbone of our families, and the very foundation of society. "Families make up our commu- nities, and society is made up of our collective families. Women today form one of the pillars of the Maltese economy thanks to their increased participation in the labour market. They de- serve to be contributing to the administration of the country and its localities as well as with- in its highest institutions". In her address, the Parliamen- tary Secretary for Equality and Reforms Rebecca Buttigieg said the University study is a call for a plan of action to implement rec- ommendations from the report as well as to be an initiative in various European countries. She said "equal representation is a right and not a privilege and is important because the perspec- tive of women is reflected in the taking of political decisions". Both Parliamentary Secretar- ies welcomed with satisfaction the recommendations of the study, emphasising the need for deeper study and commu- nication, together with more cooperation between the po- litical parties. They insisted this is "crucial for equal and just rep- resentation in the country". The study revealed the Univer- sity taskforce found male dom- inance in 68 localities due to few female candidates, leader- ship gaps, stereotypes, funding shortages, and weak family sup- port. It recommended prioritiz- ing underrepresented genders for co-options. The study also provides some examples from within the Eu- ropean Union as possible thor- oughfares leading to further development in this field. In Greece, a minimum of 40% women candidates on elec- toral lists was established for local government elections, in- cluding municipal and regional levels, while in Italy, parties are required to present at least 50% women candidates in 12 of its 20 regions. In Belgium, equal gender rep- resentation on electoral lists at all levels was reinforced in the 2018 municipal elections in the Brussels and Walloon regions by requiring candidate lists to alternate between women and men, and in Poland, it is stipulat- ed that parties must nominate at least 35% women candidates. In Croatia, 40% gender quota applies to candidate lists, en- forced via fines rather than list rejection. Additional funding is used to encourage better can- didature. THIS IS A PAID COLLABORATION