The Equality for Men and Women Act (2003)

Date of entry into force: 2003 amended 2017

The law primarily covers measures to combat discrimination and established the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality for Men and Women (NCPE), the independent body for the promotion of gender equality. The equality for men and women Act Chapter 456 of the Laws of Malta clearly states that - It shall be unlawful for employers to discriminate, directly or indirectly, against a person in the arrangements made to determine or in determining who should be offered employment or in the terms and conditions on which the employment is offered or in the determination of who should be dismissed from employment.
In 2017 debates had started by Equality Minister Helena Dalli to create a fairer and more equal society to the next level. The eight pillars are: right to equal treatment; equal access to opportunity and combatting the gender pay gap; financial independence; equal access and opportunity to knowledge and education; co-responsibility and balance of work, private and family life; equal opportunities for positions of authority, as well as health and general wellbeing; and intersectionality – “addressing women’s multiple identities and the forms of discrimination against them”.