THE FAMILY IN MALTA WITHIN THE DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITIONS: A

STUDY OF FAMILIES-IN-NEED

Bernadine Satariano, Suzanne Gauci & Dr John A. Schembri

FIRST AND SECOND DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITIONS

Demographic Transition describes the evolution of

the birth, death and migration rates over time. The

model below combines the FIRST and SECOND

demographic transitions for countries that have

passed through the processes of industrialization and

urbanization.

Model of the First and Second Demographic Transitions

FIRST AND SECOND DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITIONS

First Demographic Transition

• high birth and death rates - populations kept small and in check

• decline in death rates with birth rates remaining high - populations

increase

• decline in birth rates - populations kept in check again eg. ageing

FIRST AND SECOND DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITIONS

Second Demographic Transition

• fluctuation in birth and death rates- intensifying of ageing

process

• increase in death rates and decline in birth rates - population

below replacement level

• increase in immigrations make up for stagnant local

populations

THE GEOGRAPHY OF HIGH POPULATION DENSITIES AND MARKED POPULATION MOVEMENTS.

• The population of the Maltese Islands is about 400,000 with a

population density of around 1,200 persons per Km2.

• However there are marked regional differences as shown in the figure

below

Distribution of population density by locality: 2005 (Source: Census 2007)

THE GEOGRAPHY OF HIGH POPULATION DENSITIES AND MARKED POPULATION MOVEMENTS.

Distribution of population density by locality: 2005 (Source: Census 2007)

•The Harbour regions are experiencing the highest figures with about one

half of the population living around these areas.

•Migration from the high-density districts to districts that are less dense is

also apparent.

•In fact as the map shows there are lower densities in all the other regions

including Gozo with 7.7 per cent of the population and a density of 463

persons per Km2. (Census 2005).

THE MALTESE FAMILY

• The Maltese maintain a strong connectionwith their families. It serves as a source ofsolidarity, care, and support.

• Marriage within the Roman Catholic Churchremains a predominant status. However, thenorm of two parent family co-exists with adiversity of family situations and lifestyle(Abela, Cordina and Azzopardi Muscat2003).

• Single parents, elderly, and parents of largefamilies report lower average yearlyhousehold income and are at a greater risk ofpoverty than their counterparts.

Families mostly prone to poverty and social exclusion and

their interlinking factors

• Most of the ELDERLY suffer from solitude and insecurity living in flats

with three or four flights of stairs and inadequate household facilities.

• Moreover their health problems apart from excluding them from the rest

of society exert a financial burden due to expensive medicines.

• The elderly are also psychologically affected by the familial problems

generally experienced due to unhealthy relationships between parents

and children.

Families mostly prone to poverty and social exclusion and their interlinking factors

• On the other hand, SINGLE MOTHERS and PARENTS OF TWO OR

MORE CHILDREN are mostly prone to suffer from:

• Lack of family income, living in dilapidated housing, having limited

space, experiencing marital instability, experiencing stress and

suffering from depression.

• As a result parents fear about their child's well-being which in turn can

bring about poor educational achievement and social exclusion.

• Unfortunately some people are not able to cope with these problems

and resort to prostitution, crime, and substance abuse.

Families mostly prone to poverty and social exclusion and their interlinking factors

THE GEOGRAPHY OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHALLENGES IN VALLETTA

This research study with a random sample of hundred interviewees was conducted in Malta's capital city Valletta and it delved to find:

• income level - the extent to which it was sufficient

• housing type -its suitability for the family

• education level - household head and dependents

• health problems – affect on respondent and dependents

• cultural activities – condition the way of life, such as, religious, carnival and sports and other forms of leisure

• residing in Valletta - whether they were experiencing any problems and disadvantages due to the fact that they reside in Valletta.

• The research tools used for this study included both quantitative and qualitative typologies:

• Interviews

• Behavioural observation, and

• Secondary sources

YEAR POPULATION OF VALLETTA

1931 22,779

1948 18,666

1957 18,202

1967 15,279

1985 9,340

1995 7,262

2005 6,300

Demography of Valletta

Valletta was once Malta’s largest city

•In 2005 average age of Valletta’s residents was 44.2 while that ofthe Maltese population was that of 38.5.•This phenomenon is also depicted by the dependency ratio ofValletta which is one of the highest, standing as 59.9 percent,whereas, that of the Maltese Islands is 44.7 percent.

Education

•61 per cent of the respondents did not succeed to attain their secondary level of education.

•A high percentage of the respondents have the knowledge of a foreign language.

Employment

•11 per cent are gainfully occupied, 82 per cent are inactive (pensioners, receiving social assistance) while 7 per cent are unemployed.

Housing

•The residents of Valletta live mostly in apartments as proved from the research sample and the census 2005. The second most popular type of dwelling is the maisonette (terran), followed by houses and suite of rooms forming part of a housing unit (kerrejja).

Total amount of income recieved per year per household

2 8 %

4 3 %

11%

12 %

6 % Below €4,658

Betw een (€4,658) and (€ 6,988)

Betw een (€6,988) and (€ 9,317)

Betw een (€9,317) and (€ 11,646)

Betw een (€11,646) and (€13,976)

Income

More than half the population of Valletta live below the

poverty line while another high percentage are at risk of

poverty.

INDICATORS OF POVERTY AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION

• It was explained to the interviewees that some people may be experiencing problems. They were given a list of examples of problems one may encounter in daily life.

Mental Conditions

• 72 per cent of the interviewees stated that they suffer from stress and anxiety

• 57 per cent from depression,

• 53 per cent from solitude, and

• 50 per cent from some form of illness.

Material poverty

• 45 per cent suffer from material poverty which restricts them from buying certain basic necessities: food, medicine and clothing,

• 38 per cent are illiterate (lack of education limits their aspirations for higher jobs),

• 32 per cent live in inadequate and dilapidated housing (sharing a common lavatory with other tenants, small household size and structural weaknesses

• 29 per cent have problems with unemployment (those with a challenging conduct are limited from finding employment).

Other domestic problems

Unfortunately these problems create yet more serious problems through:

• the consumption of alcohol (26 percent),

• gambling (21 percent),and

• domestic violence (7 percent).

Social exclusion is another major problem affecting especially:

• immigrants (13 percent),

• disabled (12 percent)

• drug abuse (7 percent),

• prostitution (6 percent),

• prisoners and their in-laws (3 percent),

• homosexuals (3 percent) and

• transvestites (1 percent) are also present in Valletta.

The results of this research study demonstrate the sincerity by which the interviewees

voiced their disadvantages and concerns. It is evident that these problems have to be

urgently addressed and an immediate action plan be taken by all responsible .

The opportunities lie in using the high densities to advantage by:

•increasing connections between people that lead to:

(a) greater exchange of ideas,

(b) preventing the loss of skills maintained over generations (Powell, et al 2009)

• increasing connections between disciplines (Richardson, 2005)

Conclusions

References

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Conference on Fertility in the History of the 20th Century - Trends, Theories, Public Discourse, and Policies,

January 21-23, 2010, Berlin.

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Geographers, pp 2, 6.

•Satariano B., (2009) A Geographical Analysis of poverty and deprivation in Valletta. Unpublished M.A dissertation

Faculty of Arts. University of Malta.

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Thank you