‘No Room at the Top’ is Dr Frances Camilleri-Cassar’s latest study tackling gender issues in Malta, and it brings to light worrying facts which are inhibiting Maltese women from taking a more active role in the political world.
“I was shocked to discover that a lot of women do not have any knowledge whatsoever of women’s rights movements in Malta. Women need to become more assertive and recognise their rights as women in today’s world,” Frances says.
Being a prominent figure and expert researcher in her field, Frances strives for greater awareness of the gender imbalance in Malta with publications within different areas of Maltese society and culture. In her latest study, Frances entered the minds of Maltese members of parliament and discovered all is not as it seems. According to the United Nations, the required percentage of female representatives should not fall below 35 per cent. Malta can only claim a measly 9.2 per cent – six out 65, to be precise – of female MPs. This means women have practically no official voice at all within the House of Representatives.
“Female MPs are viewed as glorified social workers by male MPs, because the role given to women in politics is considered an extension of their roles within society,” Frances continues. “Take the minister of Family and Social Solidarity as a prime example. Her main job is to improve the situation of families and social contexts. Why aren’t more women present in the finance ministry or other such areas?”
The answer, she says, partly lies in the opinion of men towards women. Men do not consider women capable of occupying higher positions in ministries which are outside their perceived area of expertise, such as social issues.
Men have glued themselves to a position within the society and family, namely as the “breadwinner”. On the other hand, their mentality of the female position in society is that of “housewife”, which is considered acceptable by women. It is even considered an official occupation in some circumstances.
It is these states of mind that fail to notice, as discovered by Frances, that the wife of a male MP actually carries out about 80 per cent of the total work needed. This work is rooted in the socialising aspect needed to improve the chance of an MP elected to higher positions.
“The wives do more than half of the work of an MP, yet are considered incapable of doing the same job themselves. Women are at a disadvantage and it is evident from statistics that women earn less than men. For women to be as successful in politics as men, they need to be financially comfortable and independent because funding will not be found due to the lack of support available.
“To be a successful minister means to be a good administrator, not an expert in their portfolio. This means that they do not necessarily need to be good in finance to be a finance minister, since they have experts to guide them.”
But are men solely to blame for the shortcomings of women in politics? When looking at Malta’s general elections 2003 one discovers that 51 per cent of the overall voters were women. Out of the 178 candidates running for election, only 22 were women, and of those again, only two were elected. One woman became a minister and the other took the post of parliamentary secretary. As a result of this, it is safe to say that women are not yet ready to put their country and livelihood into the hands of other women.
“Women do not work together in political situations and women voters look up to and vote for men because they are seen as stronger. Female candidates are not considered good enough because they are not of ‘quality’. I ask this: are all men in parliament of ‘quality’?
“In an ideal world, voters vote for whom they want. In the real world, voters vote for those nominated by the Party which generally supports men. ”
Frances believes that social constraints are the main factors inhibiting women from furthering themselves in politics. Both men and women have to reform their traditional concepts of gender roles in society.
“For cultural constraints to be changed, gender imbalance needs to be tackled because it is strongly reflective of a male dominated society. To change this imbalance, women need to be seen in a new light within the family, society and labour market alike. It is only after this is accomplished, that we as a nation can move forwards and change the constraints which have been holding women back from advancing for decades.”
Frances emphasised that people already in power can strive to better the situation by introducing a gender quota policy within the political system. A quota policy would give the opportunity for change in social norms and give a helping hand to women to move up on the political ladder.
“Controversy surrounds the quota policy but what many tend to forget is that it is only a temporary policy until the situation is improved.”
When asked if she herself has ever been involved in politics, she quickly shook her head saying, “Definitely not and never. I would much rather be a researcher and free-thinker than be the one to tow the party-line in politics. I find politics interesting but only as an observer.”