By next year, four in 10 Maltese women of working age should be in employment. At least that's the target set for the island by the EU. At the best of times it is doubtful whether Malta would manage to attain that goal by the deadline, given that the figure still hovers at about three in 10. The recession makes it all the more difficult to achieve.

Yet, it could be argued that economically it is even more important now, at a time of ailing GDP, to raise the female labour participation rate as it would boost both production and consumer spending.

Speaking at a recent business breakfast, Cherie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, was blunt enough about it when she said it was simply "stupid economics" not to push for equality in the labour market.

In a direct appeal to an audience replete with business leaders, she argued that individual firms, too, stood to gain from introducing measures that would make it easier for mothers to work and raise their children at the same time. Apart from elevating staff morale, it would keep experienced and skilled personnel on board as well as serve to attract "the brightest and the best" - no mean benefit when it is their human resources that most firms rely on to succeed.

There is little evidence, though, that private enterprise appreciates this enough; much less is it grasping the opportunity to improve its competitiveness by introducing innovative work practices that would allow it to take full advantage of Malta's increasingly qualified and experienced female workforce. Indeed, in this area it is the government that has led the way so far. After legislating, a few years ago, to outlaw gender discrimination in all areas, but especially at the workplace, it has followed up with a raft of initiatives aimed at making it more attractive - in theory at least - for women to continue working while bringing up a family. These have included tax incentives, extended parental and maternity leave and subsidised childcare, apart from special courses and employment schemes for women. All the regulated measures apply to the private sector too. But the public sector has gone further, offering substantial unpaid parental leave, long career breaks and the possibility of working reduced hours.

Granted, the cost of adopting enhanced "family-friendly" practices may, in the short term, be prohibitive during the financial squeeze. However, other measures that some of the less rigid firms might want to consider would entail a much lighter financial burden and would surely pay off eventually. These may include various forms of flexitime, job sharing or working from home.

The least some companies could do is to make sure they allow women to take advantage of those family-friendly regulations already in place and to stop paying them low wages.

The government could, of course, step in with further legislation. In the UK, parents have the right to request flexible working arrangements of an employer, who can only reject the application if there are good business reasons for doing so.

A study carried out by the Employment and Training Corporation two years ago found that the majority of women were interested in resuming or remaining in work, or finding a job, but would be encouraged by family-friendly practices and good conditions. Malta must do more to help them fulfil that aspiration. It could start by reviewing its opposition to a European Union proposal on extending full-pay maternity leave.