Equality not achieved in Switzerland according to the Federal Council
On average, women earn 18% less than men, they often work part-time, and they provide the majority of care and support for family members. As a result, their pensions are smaller, and they are more at risk of poverty than men when they get older.
Keystone/ Gaetan Bally
Equality between women and men has not yet been achieved in Switzerland. This was announced by the Federal Council in a report to the UN on Wednesday. However, significant progress has been made in recent years.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
العربية
ar
الحكومة الفدرالية: المساواة لم تتحقّق بعد في سويسرا
With this report, Switzerland is responding to the UN’s call to highlight the most recent milestones in gender equality policy and to identify any remaining gaps. The UN’s call came thirty years after Switzerland and 188 other countries signed a declaration on gender equality in Beijing.
“Although equality between women and men has been enshrined in the Federal Constitution since 1981, it has not yet been achieved in our country,” the report states. On average, women earn 18% less than men, they often work part-time, and they provide the majority of care and support for family members. As a result, their pensions are smaller, and they are more at risk of poverty than men when they get older.
Finally, according to the report, women make up the vast majority of victims of domestic violence. An instance of domestic violence is committed over 55 times a day, and in 70% of cases the victim is female, writes the Federal Council.
However, the first national strategy for the targeted promotion of gender equality adopted in 2021 represents significant progress in this area, according to the report. An interim review of this strategy is to be conducted at the end of 2025.
More
More
How you view the problem of low birth rates in Switzerland
This content was published on
Why do you think the Swiss birthrate has fallen so low. What impact will this have?
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
This content was published on
The new regulation targets plants developed through new breeding technologies that don’t include transgenic genetic material.
WHO faces $1.8 billion budget shortfall amid US withdrawal
This content was published on
The 2026-2027 budget for the Geneva-based organisation has been reduced to $4.2 billion, on top of this year’s $600 million shortfall.
Swiss government proposes lifting nuclear power ban
This content was published on
While the centre-right and the energy sector are welcoming the Swiss government’s counter-proposal, the Greens are threatening to call a referendum.
Switzerland provisionally signs agreement on EU programmes
This content was published on
The agreement on EU programmes covers Switzerland’s involvement in initiatives like Horizon Europe, Euratom, ITER, Digital Europe, Erasmus+, and EU4Health.
Record-breaking winter for Swiss tourism driven by foreign visitors
This content was published on
A survey by Switzerland Tourism suggests this winter has outdone last season's record, largely thanks to foreign visitors and favourable weather conditions.
Swiss study predicts rise in global antibiotic use in farming
This content was published on
Global antibiotic use in livestock farming could rise by 2040, says a study by FAO and the University of Zurich. Switzerland expects minimal change.
Initiative calls for 36-week parental leave in Switzerland
This content was published on
The initiative proposes 18 weeks of non-transferable leave per parent to be taken alternately within ten years of implementation.
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.