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W
hen I tell people I’m a feminist, they
usually look at me like I’ve just declared
my love to a split pea. However, before
my “feminist awakening” while studying at an English
university a few years ago, I was the one giving so-called
feminists the confused looks. At this university, my
first assignment was a group presentation on gender
issues in history. Everyone in the (coincidentally, allfemale) group hurriedly shook our heads and heartily
agreed that none of us would call ourselves feminists.
I was always taught to associate “feminism” with
images of crazy, radical (potentially smelly and always
very hairy) women, who hated men and merely
wanted to flip the social pyramid to put women (i.e.
themselves) at the top. Luckily, the assigned readings
for this seminar were a godsend. Exposure to academic
literature on women’s rights and gender history
resulted in me going from being highly critical of the
term “feminism”, to feeling completely and irrevocably
attached to the term and all it truly represents.
September 2014 | Sunday Circle 49
SOCIETY
Put plainly, feminism is the belief in the
social, economic, and political equality
of the genders. But is it still relevant in
present-day Malta? Don’t women have
the vote (albeit only since 1947)? Aren’t
they allowed to go to university (the first
female University of Malta graduate
entered university in 1919)? Well, yes,
but these accomplishments do not
mean that the fight towards equality is
anywhere close to being over.
Anthropologist Mark Anthony Falzon,
head of the Sociology Department at the
University of Malta, and a member of the
National Commission for the Promotion
of Equality (NCPE), believes that feminism
in Malta is still “entirely relevant”, and urges
society “to dispel the caricature of feminists
as a bunch of men-hating opinionated
butch women. They can, and have every
right to, be that – but not necessarily, and
they often aren’t.”
Falzon believes that “the idea that all is
now well and good in Malta is a myth.
We still have a pronounced wage gap
between men and women, for example,
and discussions in the media are very often
gender-patterned (women are
always asked about how they manage to
balance work and family, provided they’re
invited at all). Many families still struggle
with the sexual freedom of women.
Nationalist narratives are invariably those
of male nation-builders. And so on.”
is accepting applications for a Master’s in
Gender Studies, starting next month –
highlights how important it is to analyse
issues from a gender perspective: “Feminist
theories help us question what we take for
granted, even everyday things”.
He does, however, caution organisations
that advocate women’s rights and gender
equality, not to get “bogged down
on token issues which are essentially
banal”, since these risk perpetuating the
aforementioned caricature of feminism.
“Some of the things that Maltese
people today are involved in could
do with a dose of feminist thought
and action,” adds Prof. Falzon. “Many
Maltese are practising Catholics, for
example, which means that they are
fully paid-up members of an institution
which systematically and formally
discriminates against women – by not
allowing them to be ritual specialists, for
example, and by excluding them from
decision-making; this was clear in the
divorce debate in which scores of priests
but no nuns took part.”
Even though women’s rights have
certainly advanced since, say, a century
ago, several elements of gender inequality
are still ingrained in Maltese society. For
example, Maltese law is rife with sexist
elements. Provisions relating to dowry
are still intermittently sprinkled across
the laws of Malta (even though the
institute of dowry was officially abolished
in 1993), and a notary is still required to
specify in notarial acts whether a woman
is married (and to whom), is a widow
(and of whom), or is a spinster. There is
no analogous requirement for men.
Dr JosAnn Cutajar, senior lecturer at the
Gender Studies Department – which
On a policy-making level, Dr Cutajar feels
that policymakers need to take gender
into consideration when taking decisions:
“For example, we are very proud that
education is available to everybody.
However, boys and girls like different
things and learn in different ways.
“We still have a pronounced wage gap
between men and women, for example,
and discussions in the media are
very often gender-patterned”
50
Sunday Circle | September 2014
SOCIETY
“As long
as women
are not
seen to
be, and
treated as,
equal, then
violence
against
women
will
continue
to exist”
52
Sunday Circle | September 2014
Are we catering to this difference in our schools?
Why are boys not doing so well? We need to ask these
things if we want to ensure that both boys and girls do
well academically.”
The persistent reinforcement of traditional gender
roles can thus cause a lot of harm, and limits the
potential of people and society as a whole. Dr Cutajar
offers as an example the way “caring” is often thought
of as a women’s job: “When it comes to taking care of
the elderly, disabled, or those who are sick on a longterm basis, this responsibility usually falls on women.
This often impacts on their work history. I think it is
very unfair; governments should ensure that women
who have to leave the labour market to take care of
others are not then punished when they in turn need
somebody or some institution to take care of them.”
Even related issues as serious as violence against
women are rooted in the problem of gender
inequality, explains Dr Marceline Naudi, head
of the Gender Studies department: “As long as
women are not seen to be, and treated as, equal,
then violence against women will continue to exist.
The antithesis of this is equality and respect, and
this is what we should be working towards.”
Gender stereotyping is seen by Dr Naudi as another
issue which ties in with this: “Our society punishes
those that are strong enough to go against the gender
stereotypes, whatever their gender.” Another facet
of the gender stereotyping problem is that “more
women are joining the labour market, but still tend to
have the lion’s share of the caring work at home (and
at work) – young women sometimes do not see this,
until they have children, and then they feel it…”
Issues of gender also need to take into consideration
the existence of diversity, as Dr Naudi says: “men
and women are not a homogenous group. There
are older and younger men. There are white,
black, Muslim women. There are disabled or
gay people. When we study gender, we take this
intersectionality of variables into consideration.”
She also points to the need to consider people who
do not fit into traditional binaries: “Many people
would not define themselves as either male or
female”. One day, Dr Naudi hopes, “it won’t matter
whether one is male or female, what will matter is
personhood, not gender – of course, this is in the
time beyond gender stereotypes!”