In the heart of Valletta, at the grand Parliament Building, a stark reality unfolds. Out of the 67 members of Malta’s House of Representatives, only 15 are women. This stark gender imbalance is not unique to Malta, but it’s a reality that’s hard to ignore, especially as we celebrate International Women’s Day.

Malta ranks 35th in the world for women’s political representation, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union. While this is not the worst ranking, it’s far from the best. Globally, women hold just over a quarter of national parliament seats. The question is, what’s holding us back, and how can we accelerate change?

Malta’s political scene is dominated by two major parties, the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party. Both have made strides in increasing women’s representation, but progress has been slow. The Labour Party, currently in government, has seen a slight increase in women’s representation, with 10 women in its parliamentary group. The Nationalist Party, however, has seen a decrease, with just 5 women in its parliamentary group.

But the problem isn’t just at the national level. Local councils, too, struggle with women’s representation. In the 2019 local council elections, women made up just 28% of candidates and 25% of elected councillors. This is a significant drop from the 33% of candidates and 31% of elected councillors in the previous election.

So, what’s stopping more women from entering politics? A survey by the Nationalist Party found that women cited lack of confidence, fear of public speaking, and family commitments as barriers. But there are also systemic issues, like the high cost of elections and the need for political parties to do more to support and promote women candidates.

There are, however, initiatives aimed at addressing these issues. The ’50/50′ campaign, for instance, is calling for a quota system to ensure equal gender representation in politics. The campaign, led by the Women’s Rights Foundation, has gained significant traction, with several political parties pledging their support.

there are inspiring examples of women in politics making a real difference. Dr. Justyne Caruana, Minister for Gozo, is a strong advocate for women’s rights and has been instrumental in pushing for better gender balance in politics. And there’s also the example of Dr. Miriam Dalli, MEP, who’s been a vocal advocate for women’s rights and gender equality at the European level.

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