Letters to the editor - December 3, 2024

From our online comments

Pay parents to raise children?

Rosianne Cutajar’s proposal sparks debate

Good initiative but once a parent always a parent. What about the second year and third and so on when costs literally start to spiral up? Is it possible the government hasn’t recognised the cause of the problem? Both parents work to cover the exorbitant property prices. Control that and normality will return. It’s always a supply/demand issue. It seems that there are over 20,000 empty properties but developers continue to build and prices keep on rising. Government’s fault as usual. – JJ Calleja

How about improving quality of life strategically with proper wages, proper building prices and proper food costs, instead of creating a new debt bubble which will in turn exacerbate the problem in the future?

Rosianne is trying to solve the issue from a perspective of a Socialist, not an economist. The solution to me appears very short-sighted and doesn’t take into account the damage this will do.

(We are already being told that there isn’t enough money for pensions).

From a socialist perspective, I would only pay parents who are married to encourage the long-lost nuclear family. This will encourage more quality upbringing and prevent abuse. – Steven Agius

Rosianne Cutajar (inset) said women could be offered a financial incentive to stay at home with their baby for the first year.

Anna Borg, who chairs the Malta Women’s Lobby, agreed there was the need “to sit down and review and improve” family leave offers, insisting they are not working. Women’s organisations have long been saying this. However, she cautioned it was dangerous to suggest that only mothers be paid to raise children.  – Ramon Saguna

If this proposal is adopted, safeguards should be taken to make sure that such paid leave is used not abused. – C. Xerri

I do not think that the fertility rate decline can be changed by throwing money at it. Most couples choose to stay childless because of a sense of doom and gloom that persists in today’s life. People feel life is a hectic one where taking care of a child would be a great burden. Also if life currently is not that good, why bring another into it? – Ilan Dalli

Twelve months of maternity leave – nine months for the mother and three by the dad. If these are not taken by the respective parents, they are lost. This means both parents are given substantial contributions to raising a child. This is the Danish maternity/paternal policy and the reason why they have such high gender equality rates. – Martinique VB

Considering women and men now both have largely equal access to the job and career market, it only makes sense that parenting becomes a paid profession supported by governments. The rewards and perils of parenting versus the rewards and perils of having a career are completely out of balance now. – Rhea Attard

To increase the fertility rate, the cost of living has to be slashed significantly making it feasible for couples to have kids. As it is, they run after their own tails paying for their consumeristic values. Reduce TCNs. As it is no one wants to raise kids here. It’s too dirty, polluted, overcrowded. – Michael Borg