Equality commission calls for longer family leave to address low fertility
One of the main barriers to family growth in Malta lies in the difficulties parents face in reconciling work and family life.
Malta’s equality body has called for “broad structural reforms” as a way to tackle the country’s low fertility rate.
In a statement, the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality said that while financial incentives may encourage women and men to have more children, they will remain insufficient without other measures.
It pointed to measures listed in a survey it commissioned on the matter, including:
“Respondents expressed a clear need for longer, better-paid family leave, including maternity, paternity, parental leave, and specific leave when children are unwell,” a statement by the NCPE said.
According to the EU's statistics arm, Eurostat, Malta’s fertility rate is 1.06, meaning, on average, each woman in Malta is having just over one child.
That is the lowest in Europe.
By contrast, Bulgaria has the highest fertility rate in Europe, with 1.81 live births per woman.
The statement comes after archbishop Charles Scicluna kicked off a national debate on Malta’s low fertility during his Victory Day homily a month ago, when he said the Maltese risked “ethnic extinction.”
Days later, Clyde Caruana described the country’s rock-bottom birth rate as “the greatest challenge of our time.” He said the upcoming budget may include measures that reward larger families.
The PN's proposal to increase paid parental leave to one year has resurfaced in recent days, as has the party's call for an advantageous tax band for parents with more than one child.
Quoting its study, the NCPE said one of the main barriers to family growth in Malta lies in the difficulties parents face in reconciling work and family life.
“The research shows that although both women and men wish to have more children, many are dissatisfied with the short duration and limited compensation of current leave policies.”
The study put forward several research-based recommendations, including extending maternity leave to six months on full pay, increasing paternity leave to four weeks, and expanding paid parental leave to six months, equally shared between parents.
It also pointed to making working conditions more flexible and strengthening family-related services and support systems, until children reach mandatory school age.
The NCPE study also called for “a cultural shift that values shared care responsibilities between women and men, and the development of a comprehensive national family strategy.”
It said Malta’s fertility rate “is deeply concerning and will increasingly pose serious social and economic repercussions.”