The Malta Women’s Lobby has called for a dedicated task force to examine the issue of low fertility through a multidisciplinary lens.
Responding to the Finance Minister’s proposed tax rate for parents with multiple children to tackle low fertility, the MWL said on Friday that while such a measure “may offer some financial relief to families, this singular incentive alone will not address the complex roots of Malta’s demographic challenges”.
The lobby group urged a more holistic approach is required rooted in the importance of supporting families to adopt a “proper work-life balance”.
“While financial incentives are helpful, they shouldn't be the only focus. A more comprehensive approach, grounded in the idea that "it takes a village to raise a child," could make a real difference,” a spokesperson for MWL said.
A dedicated multidisciplinary task force would take into account financial, social cultural, housing and gender equality considerations.
“Tax incentives, while potentially beneficial, are just one piece of a much broader and more complex puzzle. Having a second child significantly amplifies a family’s responsibilities, especially in light of Malta’s limited support structures for working parents. If the government’s goal is to sustainably reverse the declining birth rate, the MWL urges a more holistic approach.”
“Raising children involves more than just financial expenditures—it places a considerable physical, emotional, and mental burden on parents, particularly mothers,” the MWL added.
Earlier this week, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana called for “urgent drastic and expensive action” to reverse the worrying downward trajectory of its native population numbers.
The debate on low fertility was sparked by the presentation of a report by professors Anna Borg and Liberato Camilleri on perceptions towards a work-life balance with a specific focus on family size.
The MWL said that introducing a tax rebate to encourage multiple births will “fail to achieve a meaningful impact on fertility rates” if they are not introduced in conjunction with an extension of family leave allowances, including maternity, paternity and parental leave, more flexible work arrangements and addressing the imbalance in gendered caregiving between the parents.
“We must move beyond what appears to be a masculine perspective that treats women’s wombs as a problem to be solved through financial incentives alone.”
The MWL pointed out that parents, especially mothers, bear the disproportionate majority of daily tasks related to childcare, education, and healthcare, not to mention overall family management and the care of elderly and/or disabled relatives.
“We strongly believe it is essential for policymakers to refer to research-based findings to guide a multifaceted policy response,” the spokesperson added.