In an article published on this blog which has since been amended, Manuel Delia claimed that the PN’s electoral program makes no specific reference to women.
This is wrong on a number of levels and he has invited me to contribute this guest post specifically to illustrate exactly how the PN has historically and continuously supported both the women within its ranks and women in Malta.
Women’s issues cannot be whittled down to a quick checklist – a holistic approach is imperative to the attainment of gender equality. A perfect example of all-rounder proposals that are not directly related to “women” but still deeply affect women’s wellbeing in Malta would be the Partit Nazzjonalista’s proposals on mental health. Mental health proposals are something that everyone can benefit from, but there are certain aspects of women’s health that could do with an update in this regard specifically. There already exists a prenatal mental health service, which is great but could always be better supported – which is something that is important. Such service must be expanded through community care and outreach (99). Mental health will also be improved through a nationwide campaign against mental health stigma (99) which would also extend to post-natal depression and other issues that so many women face, ensuring that more women are encouraged to seek the help they may need.
Parents would also be pleased to note that (101) specialist centres for child and adolescent mental health will be set up to ensure adequate and specialised mental health care for young people. Naturally, these proposals go hand in hand with the idea that the current mental health facilities at Mount Carmel will be moved to a new hospital in the vicinity of Mater Dei Hospital (100).
IVF and maternity proposals are listed within the manifesto, where the PN has promised that those people eligible for IVF services will have the full procedure provided for free, including consultations and medication. This extends to treatment that may need to be procured abroad which will also be covered for free (106). People who have given birth via IVF will remain eligible for successive cycles to ensure that, if they would like to have more children, they may do so (107).
Sexual health is yet another aspect of women’s lives that is often overlooked insofar as its impact on the socio-economic future of half of our population. Seeing as Malta has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancies in southern Europe, contraception will be offered for free (as proposed in May 2021). Contraception in this case is not just condoms, but the contraceptive pill, the IUD, implant, etc. which would ensure that adequate contraception is no longer reserved for those who may afford it, or determined through a one-size-fits-all approach, but each person may access the contraception that works for them after discussing the same with their doctor. Whilst we understand that contraception is not only a women’s issue but something that should be considered by any and all parties involved in a sexual encounter, the reality is that so many women bear the consequences of inaccessibility to contraceptives (105). Because we recognise that trans women are women, surgical intervention for our trans sisters will also be offered for free, as well as any hormone therapy that may be required (103).
Another proposal is the general proposal (54) tackling gender inequality across the board with a special emphasis on addressing the gender pay gap, but it does not only extend to that. This proposal was left wide enough for us to be able to address different inequalities, specifically those insofar as economic disparities (such as pink tax, which will also be discussed).
There are various other proposals that pertain to improving the lives of women around the country and ensuring we move ever closer to gender equality within the manifesto, relating to supporting individuals in prostitution (50), increasing the penalties that pertain to the crime of discrimination (52), increases in children’s allowance (28), proposals that ease the burden on the purchase of property (63, 64), incentives for women to re-enter the workforce (126), tackling gender based crimes with the requisite importance and extending and strengthening the already existing specialised unit in the police force (266), increases in local security and safety measures (274), decreases in the duration of court cases (288), improvements to divorce legislation (291), and so many more.
The full manifesto has been published since the end of February and can be accessed here: https://www.pn.org.mt/vision