Women hold just one in seven band club committee posts
South Eastern district has largest number of both resident and trainee musicians
Women accounted for fewer than one in seven band club committee members last year, despite making up almost a third of overall membership, new figures show.
Data published by the National Statistics Office show that just 149 of the 1,085 committee members across Malta and Gozo in 2025 were women, equivalent to 13.7%.
That was a slight increase from 12.8% in 2024, when 137 women served on band club committees.
The gap is particularly stark when compared with women’s wider participation in band clubs. Women accounted for 30.2% of total membership and 38.5% of trainee band players in 2025.
They also made up 32.7% of resident band players.
The figures suggest that, while female participation in music and club activities is growing, women remain significantly underrepresented in the organisations’ decision-making structures.
Band club membership overall rose by 4.8% last year, reaching 26,683 people across 91 clubs in Malta and Gozo.
The increase was recorded across all membership categories.
Resident band players rose by 6.3%, from 1,918 to 2,038, while the number of trainees increased by 8.7%, from 1,876 to 2,040.
Trainees therefore slightly outnumbered established band players for the first time in the two years covered by the report.
The South Eastern district had the largest number of both resident and trainee musicians, accounting for 21.6% of resident players and 39.5% of trainees.
Band clubs also employed or engaged 417 qualified music instructors in 2025, an increase of 8% over the previous year.
Theory instructors formed the largest group, followed by teachers specialising in brass and woodwind instruments.
The clubs staged 1,332 performances during the year, including 924 in their own locality, 387 elsewhere in Malta and 21 abroad.
Volunteers continued to play a major role in keeping clubs running, with 8,158 people giving their time during 2025.
Of those, 4,803 volunteered throughout the year, while another 3,355 helped during particular periods.
The sector also handled significant sums of money.
Band clubs reported total income of €11.76 million and expenditure of €11.69 million in 2025.
Current expenditure amounted to €9.23 million, while a further €2.46 million was spent on capital projects.
The South Eastern district accounted for the largest share of both income and expenditure, generating €3.21 million and spending €3.65 million.
Nearly all clubs had a band commission, while 71.4% had a youth committee and 53.8% had a fireworks committee.
Women’s committees existed in 40 of the 91 clubs, equivalent to 44%.
The NSO survey covered all registered band clubs operating in Malta and Gozo and achieved a 100% response rate.