On the occasion of Mother’s Day, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister Carmelo Abela met with a number of mothers who have passed or are passing through numerous challenges and opportunities in their lives.
During the meeting, the women discussed their experiences with the minister – experiences including those of a mother who lost her daughter, a mother of a child with a rare disease, a mother who adopted her son, a mother of a boy with down syndrome, a mother who suffered a miscarriage, a mother of a boy who is suffering from cancer, as well as a mother who gave birth as a result of IVF. Through this meeting a message was conveyed, that despite every challenge, mothers continue to strive forward both in their personal life as well as their professional life, in order to reach her aspirations.
Minister Abela emphasised that the government remains committed to ensuring female participation in the labour market. He mentioned how in the last eight years, numerous measures were introduced that led to an increase in the rate of participation of women in the local labour market when compared to the European average. Among these measures there was free childcare, the in-work benefit, tax credits for mothers returning to work following the birth of a child, and the child bonus of €300.
The minister said that this work will continue by amongst others striving to put into local legislation the Work-Life Balance Directive, a measure which will improve productivity but also give a better quality of life for families. Measures such as parental leave, the introduction of five days leave for looking after family members, as well as the strengthening of IVF services are measures to give more rights and benefits to the family. In addition, there will be a continued emphasis on following the discussion on a European level about the right to disconnect.
“These are all measures which, if grouped together, lead to an improvement in the conditions of work and the quality of life of the mother, not only to enable her to participate in the labour market if she so wishes, but also to sustain her children in their upbringing”, concluded Minister Abela.
