The Nationalist Party has proposed a gender equality audit of parliament to try to establish why Malta has so few MPs.
With just nine female MPs out of 67, Malta along with Hungary, had the lowest share of female representation in politics within the EU, in 200.
The PNs measures, announced on International Women's Day, also include a plan to write a report on underrepresentation of women in politics as a whole.
PN leader Bernard Grech said their plan did not simply focus on women being elected but also looked at removing other barriers that prevented women from pursuing a political career.
“We believe it’s important not we just to open the door to women in parliament but make sure to remove the obstacles for them to be able to thrive,” he said.
Giving a detailed account of the plan, PN MP Therese Comodini Cachia said they would be proposing to the speaker of the house, to initiate a gender equality audit “to understand better what structures within the current system discourage women from getting into politics.”
There would also be an internal audit of the PN itself.
She vowed the party would ensure there are adequate internal structures in place to prevent bullying and harassment and would propose that parliament's code of ethics to ensure an environment free of bullying and harassment.
The PN will also open a training programme to aspiring male and female politicians, with a focus on creating a respectful environment which gives equal importance to both gender’s perspectives and input, she underlined.
“We believe that only through equal representation of the genders will we be able to draft effective legislation that changes people’s lives for the better,” she said.
Those who complete the training programme, will shadow party officials, who themselves would undergo "gender mainstreaming training".
Comodini Cachia also said that through consultations with various stakeholders, the party aimed to draft a report on how better to reach gender equality targets outlined in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.