The Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations (MCWO) has expressed its concern regarding the low amount of women in politics and in Parliament.

Chair of the MCWO Renee Laiviera said; “In total, 26 women candidates will be contesting these elections. 13 will be contesting on the Partit Nazzjonalista ticket (23%), 12 on the Partit Laburista ticket (14%) and one for Alternattiva  Demokratika (11%)”.

She argued that with just six women (9%) elected in the House of Representatives, the gender imbalance in politics in Malta persists. “The situation is slightly better when it comes to Local Councils, where female councillors make up 22% of elected councillors (98 females compared to 345 male councillors) and 13% of elected mayors (2011). This means that decision-making and priority setting continues to be largely in the hands of men”.

“Considering that half of the Maltese population is made up of women, The Malta Confederation of Women's Organisations (MCWO) believes that democracy cannot truly be delivered to all of its citizens with such a low representation of women,” she announced.

She explained that the electorate should vote for more women as “systematic studies show that female politicians are more likely to concentrate on issues that matter more to families and tend to place important issues, like childcare, care of the elderly, finance, health, environment and  challenges related to work and care  on top of the political agenda”.

She explained that political parties need to ensure that women candidates are given sufficient media exposure in order to permit the electorate to become familiar with their ideas, who they are and what they stand for. 

The MCWO believes that women can make a noteworthy difference in politics and can make a significant contribution towards the future well-being of our country, she concluded.