Women's rights campaigners urge Prime Minister to address workplace discrimination, domestic abuse

Domestic abuse, workplace discrimination and the gender wage gap have to be dealt with in earnest, the Consultative Council for Women’s Rights has told the Prime Minister.

Council chair Josann Cutajar said despite all efforts made so far, discrimination against women on the workplace was still rife.

Cutajar led a council delegation in a meeting with Prime Minister Robert Abela and Parliamentary Secertary Rosianne Cutajar at Auberge de Castille on Wednesday.

The council consists of representatives of women’s rights groups and serves as a platform for the development of policy and legislative proposals.

“While we are seeing a higher number of women graduates under the age of 35, we still see a large discrepancy when they enter the work force… the gender wage gap seems to be on the rise, having climbed to 12% in 2019, from 5%in 2009,” she noted.

Cutajar said women should be pushed towards pursuing high paying careers, with statistics showing that women still choose to pursue careers in low paying jobs like humanities and arts.

“We should be pushing women towards the sciences and architectural fields,” Cutajar said. 

The council also flagged domestic abuse as a central problem women in Malta are facing, stating that harassment is still an issue. 

“We have women who talk to us, who tell us that they are faced with sexual harassment on the workplace, while practicing a sport and even when simply walking down the road,” she said. 

In order for women to escape abusive situations, Cutajar insisted that wages should be improved, with better facilitation for them to integrate within the workforce.

“Without money, you can’t escape abusive situations, and for that reason many women are stuck within the loop of domestic abuse,” she said. 

Prime Minister Robert Abela with Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar at Auberge de Castille

The Prime Minister said the government had always prioritised social issues, women’s rights amongst them. 

He said the government is working on the mechanism which would achieve gender equality in parliament, making way for better representation for all sexes. 

“If we don’t have a mechanism creating a snowball effect, which would lead to gender equality in parliament, the situation will remain as it is,” he said. 

On the gender wage gap, Abela cited one his electoral proposals during the leadership campaign, which looked at providing “equal pay for equal work”. 

While being different issues, the direction is the same according to Abela, who said that the government is looking at providing equal opportunities, “while not shocking the system.”

“It is a question of priority, and we have started working on it straight away. I also believe that the country’s employers are on board,” Abela said.

The gender pay gap issue is a complex one, Abela noted, insisting that solutions had to be outlined, and together with council implemented.