Women between the ages of 18 and 29 feel increasingly associated with the politics of the left while men of the same age group are more right-wing than in the past.
Some 52% of female respondents to a sotomo research group study describe themselves as left-leaning, compared to 35% in 2010.
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Swiss Abroad views: what voting records show
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Swiss voters abroad tend to follow the government line, although occasionally voting less conservative.
Men are drifting in the opposite direction, with the proportion identifying with the politics of the right increasing from 29% to 43%.
The NZZ am Sonntag newspaper also reports a disparity of views on individual subjects that have gone to public vote in recent years.
The newspaper analysed popular initiative votes depending on gender but not age.
For example, 26% more men supported pension reforms last year. This issue had specific implications for women, raising their retirement age from 64 to 65.
A 2021 vote on banning face coverings, which also has a greater impact on women, saw 14% more men voting in favour of restrictions.
But even gender-neutral votes on popular initiatives reveal differences in the way men and women vote.
In 2021, 17% more men voted to approve a free trade agreement with Indonesia than women, reflecting different opinions on the contentious issue of the palm oil trade.
When counting “no” votes, women were also more strident in rejecting corporate tax reforms and changes to the hunting laws.
“Areas of tension between men and women will not simply dissolve, regardless of whether it’s about compatibility or basic values,” political scientist Michael Hermann told the newspaper.
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Democracy is based on the promise to adequately and appropriately represent the population. However, Switzerland’s system reveals some shortcomings.
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