Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545062
17 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 MAY 2026 NEWS ELECTION 2026 really add up for women? Historical inequality Parties have tried to address historical inequality and un- paid care work in different ways this election. Labour fo- cuses on improving widows' and survivor pensions. The PN focuses on recognising unpaid caregiving through homemaker grants, pension credits for car- ers, and stronger child mainte- nance enforcement. However, Momentum goes further by trying to retroac- tively fix pension disadvantag- es faced by older generations of mothers who were penal- ised under previous contri- bution systems due to unpaid care work or outdated rules. Overall, these policies reflect a shared recognition of the long- term economic impact of un- paid care work, which primar- ily impacts women more than men. Sexual and reproductive health When it comes to sexual and reproductive health, Labour prioritises expanding health- care provision, including a na- tional women's health strategy, free HRT, expanded fertility support, earlier cancer screen- ing, and improved access to contraception, menstrual prod- ucts, and reproductive services. The PN focuses more on ac- cess infrastructure, such as specialised clinics and im- proved screening services. AD- PD is the only party that explic- itly takes a pro-choice position, proposing the decriminalisa- tion of abortion, alongside a broader rights-based approach that includes comprehensive sex education and free emer- gency contraception, framing reproductive health as an issue of bodily autonomy and legal protection. However, none of the mani- festos explicitly address adding the morning after pill to the na- tional formulary, despite wider discussions around improving access to emergency contra- ception and Labour's earlier commitment to do so in its Sexual Health Strategy. Furthermore, while parties do propose expanding IVF and fertility support, Malta still has one of the more restrictive reg- ulatory frameworks compared to some other European coun- tries, meaning many people still travel abroad for treatment. Women in sports Women in sport is mainly ad- dressed by the PN, which has proposed targeted investment in girls' participation, better coaching pathways, and fund- ing conditions linked to in- creasing female involvement in sports clubs. The other parties don't really go into much detail on sport specifically inregards to women, instead focusing on broader gender equality issues. Overall, female sport hasn't been given much attention across the manifestos, which is a bit of a gap considering how much the issue has been growing internationally. It's especially noticeable given that male-dominated sports still tend to receive the bulk of at- tention and funding Beyond proposals As domestic violence cases continue to rise year on year, parties have put forward their proposals to attempt to com- bat this. Each party has taken a slightly different approach to tackling it. Labour has leaned more to- wards victim support, and im- proving how the system works in practice, with proposals like family violence leave, faster court processes, video testi- mony to reduce trauma, and stronger laws on image-based abuse and deepfakes. The PN has taken a more en- forcement-heavy approach, proposing specialised courts, emergency barring orders to remove perpetrators from the home, a femicide review board, and dedicated police units. ADPD and Momentum fur- thermore have focused on strengthening protection sys- tems overall, with ADPD em- phasising quick action, better resourcing of the justice sys- tem, and safe accommodation for victims, while Momentum highlights faster interven- tion, more court capacity, and stronger support for NGOs working directly with survi- vors. However, critics of Malta's current system argue that there is still a gap between policy and real-life outcomes. The Mal- ta Women's Lobby has raised concerns about inconsistent protection for victims, delays in court proceedings, and weak enforcement of existing meas- ures, calling for stronger re- sourcing and faster action by authorities. As a result, some critics are cautious about whether new manifesto proposals will actu- ally be implemented effective- ly in practice, or whether the same structural issues will con- tinue despite repeated policy commitments. A mixed bag Overall, while women make up more than half the popula- tion, party manifestos show a mixed picture of how seriously their needs are being proposed. There are strong proposals from leave to health and pro- tection, but many depend not only on implementation but al- so require a behaviour change to guarantee outcomes. At the end of the day, the key question is not just what is being proposed, but whether these commitments will actu- ally translate into meaningful change beyond the pages of the manifesto. At the end of the day, the key question is not just what is being proposed, but whether these commitments will actually translate into meaning ful change beyond the pages of the manifesto