Women in Malta

Last updated
Women in Malta
Habit of a lady of the Island of Malta in 1568. Fille de l'Isle de Malta (NYPL b14140320-1638433).jpg
Maltese woman in traditional attire
General Statistics
Maternal mortality  (per 100,000)8 (2010)
Women in parliament 14.3% (2013)
Women over 25 with secondary education 68.6% (2012)
Women in labour force63.6% (employment rate OECD definition, 2019) [1]
Gender Inequality Index [2]
Value0.167 (2021)
Rank42nd out of 191
Global Gender Gap Index [3]
Value0.703 (2022)
Rank85th out of 146

Women in Malta refers to, amongst others, the social status of women in the Maltese society in different context of Maltese history, past and present. [4] [5]

Contents

Education

The Roman Catholic Church in Malta remained stagnant about the role of women in society, at least until the late 20th century, by holding the view that females were to get married and become housewives throughout their lives. [6]

The issue was first raised in the mid 19th-century, when Thaddeus O’Malley of the University of Malta introduced a School of Midwifery at the University of Malta in 1841, but the attempt was short-lived, and the first women at the University of Malta were Tessie Camilleri and Blanche Huber, who became the first two women to graduate from university: Tessie Camilleri in art 1922 [7] and Blanche Huber in medicine in 1925, respectively. [8] Compulsory elementary schooling for all children regardless of sex was not introduced until 1925.

Schooling of girls in Malta indicates: “...evidence of remarkable commitment to the full development of girls in a global society.” [9]

Politics and suffrage

Activism in favor of Women's suffrage was conducted by Mabel Strickland and later by the Women of Malta Association until the reform was finally introduced in 1947. Fifteen general elections have been contested since the granting of universal suffrage in Malta in 1947. Only 73 women have contested in these elections. The number of men, on the other hand, has exceeded 1000. The number of women contesting general elections has, however, increased over the years. In fact, the 1998 elections saw 24 women candidates participating, the highest number to date, with six of these getting elected, registering a 25 percent success rate.

The smallest number of female candidates was in 1947, numbering only two. However, the result showed a 50 percent success rate, since Agatha Barbara was elected. [10] The election of 1955 saw the lowest percentage of women candidates being elected with a 14.3 percent success rate, when only one candidate out of seven was elected. Following this, the success rate rose slowly until, in the 1976 election, there was a 42.3 percent success rate for women candidates. At that time, three out of seven contestants were returned. These were two Labour candidates Agatha Barbara and Evelyn Bonaci, while Anne Agius Ferrante from the PN obtained a seat following a by-election.

However, the success rates of the first and third elections won by female candidates have never been matched up till now (in 1947 it reached 50 percent while in 1951 it was 57.1 percent). The rate slowly rose to 42.9 percent in 1976, but this momentum was lost and success fell to 20 percent in 1981. It rose to just 28.6 percent in 2003. The 2003 election gave the same results as that of 1998, with six women parliamentarians, three each for the two main political parties.

Women rights and marriage laws

Until the late 20th century, the civil rights of married women in Malta were restricted. Malta had a marriage bar until 1980. [11] Until 1993, the family law provided legal authority to the husband over his wife. [12] Women also had reduced protection from violence within marriage, until 1990, section 236 of the Criminal Code of Malta, called "Homicide or bodily harm caused by husband on adulterous wife and adulterer" provided leniency for such homicides committed by the husband; [13] section 236 was repealed by Act No. XXIX of 1990. [14]

In 2015, Malta was criticized by Equality Now, for a law which, in certain circumstances, could extinguish the punishment for a man who abducted a woman, if following the abduction, the man and woman got married. [15] (Article 199 and Article 200 of the Criminal Code of Malta [16] ) The article was ultimately abolished by Act XIII of 2018, Article 24.

Further reading

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Declaration of Sentiments</span> 1848 document signed by attendees of the Seneca Falls Convention

The Declaration of Sentiments, also known as the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments, is a document signed in 1848 by 68 women and 32 men—100 out of some 300 attendees at the first women's rights convention to be organized by women. Held in Seneca Falls, New York, the convention is now known as the Seneca Falls Convention. The principal author of the Declaration was Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who modeled it upon the United States Declaration of Independence. She was a key organizer of the convention along with Lucretia Coffin Mott, and Martha Coffin Wright.

Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. At the beginning of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vote, increasing the number of those parties' potential constituencies. National and international organizations formed to coordinate efforts towards women voting, especially the International Woman Suffrage Alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mabel Strickland</span> Anglo-Maltese journalist, newspaper proprietor and politician (1899–1988)

Mabel Edeline Strickland,, was an Anglo-Maltese journalist, newspaper proprietor and politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agatha Barbara</span> President of Malta from 1982 to 1987

Agatha Barbara, was a Maltese politician, having served as a Labour Member of Parliament and Minister. She was the first woman to serve as president of Malta, and remains the longest-serving woman Member of Parliament in Maltese political history.

In the United Kingdom, as in other countries, feminism seeks to establish political, social, and economic equality for women. The history of feminism in Britain dates to the very beginnings of feminism itself, as many of the earliest feminist writers and activists—such as Mary Wollstonecraft, Barbara Bodichon, and Lydia Becker—were British.

Catholic schools are parochial pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered in association with the Catholic Church. As of 2011, the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school system. In 2016, the church supported 43,800 secondary schools and 95,200 primary schools. The schools include religious education alongside secular subjects in their curriculum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Representation of the People Act 1918</span> UK law reforming the electoral system

The Representation of the People Act 1918 was an act of Parliament passed to reform the electoral system in Great Britain and Ireland. It is sometimes known as the Fourth Reform Act. The Act extended the franchise in parliamentary elections, also known as the right to vote, to men aged over 21, whether or not they owned property, and to women aged over 30 who resided in the constituency whilst occupying land or premises with a rateable value above £5, or whose husbands did. At the same time, it extended the local government franchise to include women aged over 30 on the same terms as men. It came into effect at the 1918 general election.

Fifteen general elections have been contested since the granting of universal suffrage in Malta. Only 73 women have contested in these elections. The number of men, on the other hand, has exceeded 1000. The number of women contesting general elections has, however, increased over the years. In fact, the 1998 elections saw 24 women candidates participating, the highest number to date, with six of these getting elected, registering a 25 percent success rate.

In the Netherlands, feminism began as part of the first-wave feminism movement during the 19th century. Later, the struggles of second-wave feminism in the Netherlands mirrored developments in the women's rights movement in other Western countries. Women in the Netherlands still have an open discussion about how to improve remaining imbalances and injustices they face as women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in Portugal</span>

Women in Portugal received full legal equality with Portuguese men as mandated by Portugal's constitution of 1976, which in turn resulted from the Revolution of 1974. Women were allowed to vote for the first time in Portugal in 1931 under Salazar's Estado Novo, but not on equal terms with men. The right for women to vote was later broadened twice under the Estado Novo. The first time was in 1946 and the second time in 1968 under Marcelo Caetano, law 2137 proclaimed the equality of men and women for electoral purposes. By the early part of the 1990s, many women of Portugal became professionals, including being medical doctors and lawyers, a leap from many being merely office employees and factory workers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in the Czech Republic</span> Overview of the status of women in the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic provides a wide variety of civil rights to female citizens and Czech women have a long history of actively participating in Czech society. However, women in the Czech Republic continue to experience gender discrimination, particularly in the workforce and political arena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's political participation in India</span>

The term 'political participation' has a very wide meaning. It is not only related to 'Right to Vote', but simultaneously relates to participation in: decision-making process, political activism, political consciousness, etc. Women in India participate in voting, run for public offices and political parties at lower levels more than men. Political activism and voting are the strongest areas of women's political participation. To combat gender inequality in politics, the Indian Government has instituted reservations for seats in local governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marsa Battery</span>

Marsa Battery was an artillery battery in Marsa, Malta, built by Maltese insurgents during the French blockade of 1798–1800. It was part of a chain of batteries, redoubts and entrenchments encircling the French positions in Marsamxett and the Grand Harbour.

Gender equality is the notion that each gender should receive equal treatment in all aspects of life, and that one should not be discriminated based on their sex. Gender equality is a human right, which is recognised under the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosianne Cutajar</span> Maltese politician (born 1988)

Rosianne Cutajar is a Maltese politician who was formerly a member of the Labour Party. She is a member of the Parliament of Malta representing the Sixth District electoral division. Cutajar was Parliamentary Secretary for Civil Rights and Reforms within the Ministry for Justice, Equality and Governance. As a junior minister within Prime Minister Robert Abela’s government, she was responsible for Malta’s equality and civil rights policy and its implementation, together with the country’s legislative reforms across various sectors of government. Cutajar resigned from her position as parliamentary secretary in February 2021 after calls for her resignation due to links with murder suspect Yorgen Fenech.

Blanche Huber was the first female doctor in Malta. She was also the first known female medical student in Malta, and graduated as a doctor from the University of Malta in 1925, having entered it in 1919. However, she always practiced as a pharmacist in Żejtun.

Tessie Camilleri was the first female graduate at the University of Malta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ninth European Parliament</span> Session of the European Parliament from 2019 to 2024

The ninth European Parliament was elected during the 2019 elections and sat until the tenth European Parliament was sworn in on 16 July 2024.

The Women of Malta Association or Women of Malta – Nisa ta’ Malta, was a women's organization in Malta, founded in January 1944. It played an important role for the women's movement in Malta, and successfully worked for the introduction of women's suffrage.

Helen Buhagiar (1888-1975) was a Maltese political activist and feminist.

References

  1. "LFS by sex and age - indicators".
  2. "Human Development Report 2021/2022" (PDF). HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORTS. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  3. "Global Gender Gap Report 2022" (PDF). World Economic Forum. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  4. Rudolf, Uwe Jens; Berg, Warren G. (2010). Historical Dictionary of Malta. Scarecrow Press. pp. 233–235. ISBN   9780810873902.
  5. Malta, Inside (2022-11-24). "Femicide in Malta - how did the country come to this?". InsideMalta. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  6. Cassar, Carmel (1988). "Everyday Life in Malta in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries". In Manuel Victor Mallia (ed.). The British Colonial Experience 1800-1964: The Impact on Maltsse Society (PDF). Mireva Publications. pp. 91–126.
  7. https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/university-remembers-its-first-female-graduate.185192 [ bare URL ]
  8. https://studylib.net/doc/13406035/the-rise-and-rise-of-the-female-graduate--women-in-malta [ bare URL ]
  9. Grace, Gerald Rupert; Joseph, O’Keefe (2007), Grace, Gerald; O’Keefe, Joseph (eds.), "Copyright: Catholic schools facing the Challenges of the 21st century: An overview", International Handbook of Catholic Education Challenges for School Systems in the 21st Century, Volume, 2, Netherlands: Springer: 1–11, doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-5776-2, ISBN   978-1-4020-5776-2
  10. Sammut, Carmen (12 January 2018). "The road to Maltese women's suffrage and beyond". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  11. Visanich, Valerie (2018). "Structure and Agency: Changes in Personal Agency in the Life Domain of Young Women in Malta" (PDF). SAGE Open. 8. doi: 10.1177/2158244018754613 . S2CID   149828248.
  12. "Historical Developments in Maltese Family Law | Malta Family Law".
  13. https://legislation.mt/eli/cap/9/eng/pdf [ bare URL ]
  14. https://legislation.mt/eli/act/1990/29/eng/pdf [ bare URL ]
  15. "Malta - The Criminal Code". Equality Now. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  16. "Leġiżlazzjoni Malta".