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).
This content was published on
1 minute
RTS/jc
Italiano
it
Le donne stanno recuperando terreno rispetto agli uomini nel mercato del lavoro
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
More
Foreign affairs
What Trump’s return or a new Harris administration would mean for Switzerland
Direct trains to run from Zurich to Florence and Livorno
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Railways and Trenitalia will offer direct trains from Zurich to Florence and Livorno and vice versa from 2026.
Number of Swiss armed forces exceeds specified limit
This content was published on
The Swiss armed forces had an effective headcount of around 147,000 as of March 1, 2024. This exceeds the upper limit of 140,000 specified in the army organisation by 5%.
More than 400,000 cross-border commuters now work in Switzerland
This content was published on
More than half of all cross-border commuters were resident in France (around 57%). Large proportions also lived in Italy (23%) and Germany (around 16%).
Amherd and von der Leyen discuss ongoing Swiss-EU negotiations
This content was published on
Swiss President Viola Amherd and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have met and talked about the ongoing negotiations between Bern and Brussels.
This content was published on
One million francs, 34 million euros and around 830 kilos of gold: this is the fortune that two Swiss nationals are accused of having moved across borders for at least four years.
Girls in female-dominated classes earn more later on
This content was published on
At the age of 30, women from school classes with a 55% share of girls earn $350 more per year than women from classes with a 45% share of girls.
This content was published on
Geneva-based luxury goods group Richemont reported a downturn in performance for the first half of its 2024/25 financial year. Both sales and profit declined.
Gender equality in workplace may take ‘three generations’
This content was published on
Women may have to wait more than 50 years to get equal access to top management posts, according to a Swiss university report.
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.