The Malta Women's Lobby on Wednesday slammed the absence of "evidence-based, gender-sensitive policies" in the drafting of budgetary measures.
While acknowledging the inclusion of a few positive measures in the budget plans for 2025, the Malta Women's Lobby said "gender budgeting" was still not an essential component of future fiscal planning,
MWL said women were directly impacted by four measures:
- Increased bonus for women with limited NI credits: A bonus for individuals - primarily women - lacking sufficient paid National Insurance contributions for pension eligibility.
- Leave for IVF Treatment for self-employed women: An initiative to provide self-employed women with leave for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment.
- Removal of VAT on sanitary products: An important step toward addressing essential women's health needs by eliminating VAT on sanitary products.
- VAT removal on cancer-related accessories: Recognising the financial strain of cancer, VAT will no longer apply to necessary cancer-related accessories.
The 2025 budget also promised the distribution of panic buttons to victims of violence.
"Yet, the government’s insistence on a gender-neutral approach obscures the reality of the disproportionate impact of violence against women, rendering the measure less effective in addressing gender-specific safety concerns.
"Moreover, we earnestly hope this initiative will not encounter the setbacks and delays faced by the previously promised electronic tagging programme," the MWL said in a statement.
Missed opportunity: addressing low fertility rate, work-family conflicts
The MWL said Budget 2025 fell short of addressing the country’s low fertility rate and related family-work conflicts.
It said that in a recent National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) study parents voiced a clear demand for adequate and generous work-family policies such as the introduction of special leave for the parents specifically for when their children fall ill, and longer, better-paid family leave that would allow both parents to spend more time with their infants before returning to work.
"The budget sidesteps these pressing concerns and only offers an ineffective one-time €1,500 bonus for parents of three (or more) children, missing a critical opportunity to address Malta's declining fertility rate with sustainable, family-focused policies."
This budget clearly shows that Malta continues to lack a holistic, gender-sensitive approach to budgeting, despite ongoing discussions about gender mainstreaming since 2000.
A gender mainstreaming approach would ensure that decisions relating to financial planning align with the needs and realities of each and every member of society.