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.

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.

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“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.

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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.

Adapted from German by DeepL/dkk/amva

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