Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/219723
8 News maltatoday, SUNDAY, 1 DECEMBER 2013 Under Labour, gender imbal CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 NO explanation was forthcoming on why Labour has presided over such a massive reduction in women on these top corporations. "The overall percentage of women on boards for this year is 27.63%," a spokesperson said, in figures that include 836 people appointed to government committees, boards, and also public corporations. The data for 2012, supplied by the National Commission for the Protection of Equality, is still unavailable. "The rate of women is still very low. In fact, following a change in administration, the Maltese government changed its position in the European Council with regards to the Reding Proposal which aims to eliminate gender imbalance in decisionmaking positions. This data supports this rationale and the change in position." The government's position was echoed exactly by the Malta Confederation of Women's Organisations: "Our sources indicate that the overall percentage of women on boards for this year is 27.63%," chair Lorraine Spiteri said. Spiteri was asked to comment on the same data supplied to her by MaltaToday (next page), but failed to comment on the atcual worsening of the gender balance in these top companies. "The MCWO feels that this is still very low and we urge the government to utilise this still untapped economic potential of women, keeping in mind that well over 60% of graduates are females. Therefore the level of women with a high level of education makes this possible." Spiteri added that the MCWO was pleased that the Labour adminstration was now supporting the Reding proposal. On the other hand, no comment came from the National Council of Women, which recently entered the political fray only in a denouncement of the sale of citizenship. On her part, Nationalist MP and shadow civil liberties minister Claudette Buttigieg, did not return a request for comment. Gender imbalance worsens According to the European Commission's database of gender quotas, Malta's 20 largest quoted companies trading on the Malta Stock Exchange are all chaired by men, while 96% of all company directors sitting on boards are men. It's a minor improvement on 2012's 3% occupancy of women on company boards. The proposed EU law for quotas exclude publicly-listed companies that are SMEs employing less than 250 employees or whose annual turnover does not exceed €50 million. It would affect a company like Bank of Valletta, in which government retains a 25% shareholding and the right to appoint the chairperson of the board of directors. But while shareholders have appointed Ann Fenech to the board, the government appointed economist John Cassar White to the bank's chairmanship. For state-owned companies trading on the stock exchange, gender quotas will come into force by 2018. Even Malta's new cabinet of 23 ministers has less women proportionately, with Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca and Helena Dalli as ministers for social policy, and civil liberties, respectively. In 2012, only two ministers were women in the smaller cabinet of 13. Politically, female representation has increased inside the House of Representatives from six to 10, or 9% to 15% of the House, while inside the European Parliament, byeelections improved the composition of the Maltese contingent with three women. Top officials – the Chief Justice, the judges who sit on the Constitutional and all courts of appeal, the Attorney General, the Auditor General and the Speaker of the House – also remain men. Of 21 magistrates, 11 are women, while four judges out of 21 are women. The European Commission says that according to the EU Labour Force Survey, Malta has over 1,000 women in the private sector who are directors and CEOs or managers of small enterprises, compared to over 4,000 men who have the same roles in private business. This situation is contrasted by the fact that 60% of university graduates are women. In 2012, the EC also remarked that Malta's severe gender imbalance was felt in other aspects of public life: across the civil service and the nine government ministries, there are only eight women in the highest, non-political administrative positions compared to 92 men (level 1 administrators), and 28 women compared to 72 men in level 2 administrative roles. In politics, the gender imbalance persists with less women mayors than in 2011: just six (9%) out of 68 mayors, and 96 or 21% out of 453 councillors, less than the 98 women councillors last registered in 2011. Mayors are elected if they have the highest first-count vote, within the party that gains more seats on the council. What they said President's speech, April 2013 "We must ensure that in no way will women be discriminated against in factors such as salaries, conditions and opportunities for advancement in the workplace. This Government will give a greater role to women in positions of decisionmaking. It will ensure that more members serving on boards, commissions and other appointments by Government are women. Joseph Muscat's biographical manifesto 'Malta li irrd nghix fiha' 21 January 2012 - "Women are our society's fibre, who can take the best decisions, and that a country with more women in positions of responsibility is a better country" 2 November 2011 - "It will be my generation's challenge to give a strong sign in favour of a more feminist political system, where women are encouraged to participate and have a more central role." – Labour electoral manifesto 16. Equality between women and men We will ensure that more members on boards, commissions and other government nominations are women. Only Gozo excluded All of urban Malta is eligible for medium-rise development while Sliema will be entirely eligible for over 10-storey development, except its extensive 'urban conservation area'... get ready for the new towers JAMES DEBONO ONLY Gozo will be spared from a high-rise policy that will apply a 'floor-area ratio' to allow twice the number of storeys allowed by local plans in urban areas, that are surrounded by streets on all sides. A spokesperson for the Malta Environment and Planning Authority confirmed that proposals for medium-rise buildings can be consid- ered in all urban localities in Malta, and only Gozo is excluded from such development. Medium-rise buildings, as defined in a new plan issued on Monday, is development where the height is twice that of the statutory limitation in the local plan, limited to 10 storeys. Towns whose local plans limit heights to three storeys can now have six-storey towers, but those allowed six, seven, or eight-storey heights can only have towers of up to 10 storeys. No such development is permissible in urban conservation areas, residential priority areas, ridges and ODZ areas. Additionally, permissible sites must be surrounded by streets on all sides. Presently, MEPA's floor-area ratio allows developments to breach height limits when it is limited to a footprint of 3,000 square metres. But this requirement has now been removed entirely for any development in Sliema, St Julian's, Msida, Gzira, Pietà, St Paul's Bay, Marsaskala and Marsa. In all other localities outside this so-called "strategic area", the minimum site area is being raised to 5,000 square metres. "The minimum site area requirement was removed from certain localities and increased for others to direct the development of higher buildings in the locations which are deemed more appropriate by MEPA