Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Women catching up with men in job market

two women at work
The percentage of women in the workforce has risen particularly among younger women. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Over the past 30 years, the percentage of young women and men in the Swiss labour market has become much closer, according to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

Taking all ages together, 79.6% of working age women (15 to 64) were in the labour market (working or looking for a job) last year, compared with only 68.2% in 1991, says the FSO report published on Thursday. Last year the activity rate of men the same age was still higher at 87.4% than that of women, but this has fallen from 91.1% in 1991.

More women are participating in the labour market particularly in the 25-to-39 age group. This indicator rose from 72.3% in 1991 to 87.3% last year.

This can be explained by better reconciliation of work and family life, but also the fact that mothers are having their first child later, says the FSO. Level of education is also a factor.

Over the past 30 years, the rise in female employment has been concentrated not only in the 25-39 age group, but also in the 55-64 age group. In this second group, the evolution is partly explained by the increase in the legal retirement age for women from 62 to 64 (in two stages between 2001 and 2005).

The activity rate of women aged 55-64 was only 43.8% in 1991 but stood at 70.1% in 2022. For men in the same age group, this rate has fallen from 86.4% to 82.1% over the same period.

Despite this trend, many sectors in Switzerland remain conservative and the pay gap between men and women is still wide.


Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR