Alternattiva Demokratika – The Green Party said in a statement that it would like to see more opportunities for women to be able to realise their huge potential, ideally without having to resort to quotas.

Angele Deguara, AD Spokesperson for Social Policy, said, “It is sad that companies in Europe are being warned by EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding that unless women’s representation on company boards is increased, the EU would have to resort to legislation which will enforce the desired increase.”

“AD believes that ideally, quotas will be used as a last resort.” He continued, “in a just and equal society, women and men would both have equal opportunities to participate fully in both the public and the private spheres. As things stand, such opportunities for women remain only on paper since not enough support structures exist to ensure their participation in public life. This despite the great strides women have made in education.”

Yvonne Arqueros Ebejer, deputy chairperson said, “Malta remains at the bottom of the EU table in terms of female participation in society – whether it is the workplace, politics or decision making. Change can only happen if government invests in equality and comes along with an adequate holistic strategy with clear benchmarks and targets. Women cannot wait for another 100 years until they reach their equal status in society.”

Michael Briguglio, AD Chairperson, said, “Social policy has a major role to play in the move towards a more gender equal society. In this regard, social policies should promote the ‘universal caregiver’ model, where everyone, irrespective of gender has equal access in public activities such as employment and where everyone has responsibilities in caring roles.”

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