The figures for Malta were the only ones below the EU average, which made my friend Mary Jane Spiteri unhappy. "Still," she said, looking on the positive side, "we've brought back Home Economics for boys as well as girls and that can't be a bad thing."

My three young women could also detect changes in their own lifetimes with more of them getting the chance for higher education. On the one hand they welcomed far-reaching reforms to fit the requirements of the new European market economy: for example, the curriculum has become much more flexible and schools are being given more autonomy.

On the other hand, the girls recognised some unpleasant truths. "Teachers used to impose strict discipline. Now they are losing respect. Children do as they like much more and parents often behave aggressively with teachers," said Karolin.

"We need investment in up-to-date technical equipment in our schools and universities. We just don't have enough resources. When I went to Warsaw University in 1997, part of my course was information technology - but without any actual computers! All my essays had to be written in longhand. It was only when I went on an Erasmus scholarship to Milan that I had hands-on experience with a computer," said Katalin.

"We've got to do something about upgrading the skills of our workers, and make training better, especially for women. And this means for women in the countryside as well as in the towns. Things don't stand still and we've got to become lifelong learners so as we can adapt to change and competition - and grab new opportunities," said Irina.

The way ahead

Karolina, Katalin and Irina in their youth, and Mary Jane in her old age, all believe in wide-ranging contribution and commitment to society. On the other hand, they still see conflict ahead as they try to balance work and family responsibilities, with new opportunities and higher expectations making things worse. We might well ask whether these women really are so very different from the rest of us in the 'old' Europe. Their solution to the problem is, like ours, the age-old female attempt at practical compromise.

Compromise is what Mary Jane's vision embodies, at least for the women of Malta. She sees the woman of the future working, probably from home, in a swivel chair in front of a personal computer, a mobile phone clamped to her ear, a baby crooked in one arm and a traditional rabbit stew simmering in an electric slow-cooker!

Alma Williams OBE sits on the EU Economic and Social Committee and is President of Ripon Centre WI.

Further information:
Visit www.europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/