Swiss Covid-19 restrictions burdened working women more than men 

Switzerland has among the highest percentages of women in part-time work of any OECD country, with almost 60% of women in Switzerland working part-time. Keystone / Christian Beutler

The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a greater toll on Swiss women than men when it came to balancing professional and personal responsibilities, according to a new study. 

Women generally shouldered a greater share of the childcare and housework burden than men during the lockdown period imposed by the government to contain the coronavirus pandemic, the  Federal Office for Gender Equality said on Thursday. 

Between a quarter and a third of the respondents said they experienced a decline in their ability to work due to additional childcare and home-schooling responsibilities. Highly educated professional women, whose activities could be carried out by teleworking, suffered the greatest decline in work productivity.  

The studyExternal link carried out by the Sotomo research institute, is based on four successive surveys conducted between 22 March and 8 June. On average, almost 30,000 people participated in each survey. 

The measures taken by the government to contain the epidemic have had an impact above all on people with dependent children. Between a quarter and a third of women living with children under the age of 16 experienced a decline in productivity. As in many other countries, women generally took on the additional load on the home front. 

The crisis has also had an impact on the atmosphere in households. Approximately one in five people surveyed reported experiencing more tension and conflict at home compared to before the pandemic.