The 2023 EU Gender Equality Index has found that Malta is sorely lacking women in power, with only 40 45.3% of women assuming decision-making roles in social, economic and political spheres.

The index found that Maltese women make up only 16 out of 100 of members of boards in largest quoted companies including supervisory board or board of directors; 20 out of 100 ministers; 28 out 100 members of parliament and; 33 out of 100 of board members of publicly owned broadcasting organisations.

Overall, Malta dropped one place down from 2022, ranking 14th in the Index  with 67.8 points out of 100. The country’s score is 2.4 points below the score for the EU as a whole.

Nonetheless, there were some areas of improvement. Since 2010, Malta’s score has increased by 13.4 points, which is one of the highest increases among the EU Member States. One driver of this change has ironically been an improvement in the domain of power.

Since 2020, Malta’s overall score has increased by 2.2 points, mainly due to improvements in the domains of knowledge (+ 4.9 points) and power (+ 4.9 points).

In the category of knowledge, Malta’s ranking moved up from 9th place in 2020 to 4th. An improvement in the sub-domain of segregation (+ 5.7 points) has been the key driver of this change.

Since the first edition in 2013, the Gender Equality Index has tracked and reported progress by providing a comprehensive measure of gender equality, tailored to fit the EU’s policy goals. It reveals both progress and setbacks and explores more effective ways to seize opportunities for change.

Meanwhile, the Index was acknowledged as a reliable measurement tool for gender equality in the European Union, in an audit carried out by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre.

What do you make of these numbers?