Malta

House of Representatives

Political system: Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament: Unicameral
IPU membership: Yes

Data on women

Information on the current and historical representation of women in the parliament. Consult the 'Elections' tab to see how women have fared in elections or renewals.

Current representation

Women's representation in the current parliament or chamber

Current number of members: 79
Women: 22
Percentage of women: 27.8%

Speaker

No information available

Secretary general

No information available

Data on age at the start of the legislature

Number of members, by age (2022-05)

Breakdown of members by age and gender
	18 - 20	21 - 30	31 - 40	41 - 45	46 - 50	51 - 60	61 - 70	71 - 80	81 - 90	91 and over	Totals per gender
Male	0	2	14	5	9	16	5	0	0	0	51
Female	1	4	6	4	2	2	0	0	0	0	19
Totals per age interval	1	6	20	9	11	18	5	0	0	0	70
	Total <= 45: 36				Total >= 46: 34

Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal	Overall	Male	Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger	10.0%	2.9%	7.1%
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger	38.6%	23%	15.7%
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger	51.4%	30%	21.4%

Reserved seats and quotas

There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups: No
Electoral quota for women: Yes

Notes:
- In accordance with the Constitution of Malta and the General Elections (Amendment) Act, 2021 (Act No. XX of 2021, enacted by the President on 20 April 2021), the number of MPs must increase by up to 12 if less than 40 per cent of the MPs that are returned at a given general election and subsequent casual elections* belong to “the underrepresented sex”** as defined in the Act.

- The up to 12 additional seats are filled by unsuccessful candidates belonging to the underrepresented sex who won the highest number of votes at the last election. If there are not enough unsuccessful candidates, the House of Representatives co-opts member(s) to fill any remaining additional seats.

- These measures will remain in force for 20 years from the date on which they come into force, unless they are revoked or re-enacted (with or without modification) by means of an Act of Parliament according to the provisions of the Maltese Constitution.

* Candidates in general elections may contest no more than two districts. If they are elected in both, they must choose one district to represent after the elections. Seats vacated by candidates simultaneously elected in two districts are filled by "casual elections" prior to the first session of the House of Representatives.

** The group includes people who identified as gender neutral in their official documentation.

Sources: Act No. XX of 2021 (https://legislation.mt/eli/act/2021/20/eng)

First woman in parliament

Year of first woman in parliament: 1966

Notes: 1966: A woman was elected in 1947, prior to independence

First woman speaker

Year of first woman speaker: 1996

Women’s suffrage

Date of independence: 1964

Women’s right to vote: 1947
Restricted or universal suffrage: Universal

Women's right to stand for election: 1947
Restricted or universal: No information available

Women's caucus

Women's caucuses or parliamentary groups that bring together women parliamentarians to strengthen cooperation and amplify their voices. For other parliamentary bodies or committees that have a specific mandate to address gender equality matters, see the ‘Specialized body – Gender equality’ tab.

There is currently no women's caucus in this chamber.

Updated at	Current number of members
2022-03	79
2017-06	67
2016-12	72
2015-01	70
2014-12	69
2013-03	70
2008-03	69
1998-01	65
1997-01	69
1992-01	65
1987-01	69
1976-01	65
1971-01	55
1966-01	50

Updated at	Women
2022-03	22
2019-12	9
2017-06	10
2014-12	9
2013-03	10
1998-01	6
1997-01	4
1992-01	1
1966-01	2

Updated at	Percentage of women
2022-03	27.8%
2019-12	13.4%
2017-06	14.9%
2016-12	12.5%
2015-01	12.9%
2014-12	13.0%
2013-03	14.3%
2008-03	8.7%
1998-01	9.2%
1997-01	5.8%
1992-01	1.5%
1987-01	2.9%
1976-01	3.1%
1971-01	3.6%
1966-01	4.0%