Sexual harassment at work is now being talked about in Switzerland
Keystone/Gaetan Bally
When allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour by the Swiss parliamentarian,Yannick Buttet, emerged a few weeks ago, the discourse on sexual harassment in Switzerland shifted from could this happen here to what should we do about it.
Although a government commissioned study found that 28%External link of women in Switzerland experience sexual harassment over the course of their professional lives, rarely do these cases grab headlines in the same way the Harvey Weinstein scandal and subsequent cases have in the United States. However, the Buttet affair and recent allegations against professor Franco MorettiExternal link alongside the global #metoo social media campaign have helped bring, what has largely been viewed as a private matter into the public consciousness.
What should you do if you experience sexual harassment in a workplace in Switzerland? What practical resources and legal channels are available to you and how effective are they? Swissinfo.ch answers key questions about employee rights and employer responsibilities with respect to sexual harassment in the workplace.
1. To what extent is sexual harassment a problem in Switzerland? How pervasive is it?
“It is definitely an issue here,” says Franciska Krings, professor of organisational behaviour at the University of Lausanne and co-author of a studyExternal link comparing sexual harassment across the different linguistic and cultural regions in Switzerland. According to the study and a 2008 studyExternal link commissioned by the Federal Office of Gender Equality, around half of women and men surveyed in the three linguistic areas of the country said they experienced “potentially harassing behaviours” in the workplace such as jokes, teasing, and flirting.
However, when asked if they experienced sexual harassment, the rates were strikingly different across regions and genders. Around 18% of women and less than 8% of men in Italian-speaking Ticino and French-speaking parts of the country said they did, compared with 30% of women and 11% of men in the German part. Krings explains that, “people may be more aware of the problem in the German-speaking region but it could also be that some cultures encourage women to speak up more readily”.
2. How does Swiss law define sexual harassment?
Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination based on sex and is illegal under Swiss law. The 1995 Gender Equality ActExternal link describes harassing behaviours as threats, the promise of advantages, the use of coercion and the exertion of pressure in order to obtain favours of a sexual nature. Sexist remarks, unwanted body contact, or displaying offensive material in an office could also be considered sexual harassment. What matters is not the intent of the harassing person, but how their behaviour affects the person concerned and whether it is unwanted or welcome.
When an employee is targeted and the behaviours are repeated over a period of time, the sexual harassment can be a form of bullying, referred to as mobbingExternal link, that is intended to marginalise or exclude a person in their workplace. As the University of BaselExternal link policy explains, “the main motive behind harassment has nothing to do with eroticism or sexual attraction. The sexual aspect lends itself to this kind of bullying behaviour, because it is an area where victims are especially vulnerable.”
This is the first article in a two-part series on sexual harassment in Switzerland. Part two will be published on [add in date].
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An online campaign revealed that many women in Swiss parliament deal with everyday sexism. A study shows it's an issue around the world.
In Switzerland, an online campaign caused a firestorm on social media – and a swelling list of female politicians registering their reproach – after Andrea Giessbühler, a female parliamentarian from the conservative right Swiss People’s Party, said in an interview that certain punishments for rape should be lowered when naive victims are partially at fault.But the experiences of Swiss female parliamentarians, who were also reacting to the controversy over US presidential nominee Donald Trump’s comments about women, appear to be just the proverbial tip of the iceberg when placed in a global context.
A study released on Wednesday by the Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) showed more than 65% of women parliamentarians worldwide surveyed by the IPU reported being the victims of “humiliating sexist remarks” during their time in office. A quarter had been victims of physical violence because of their position in government, and 21% had experienced sexual violence. Another 32% had seen sexual violence committed against female colleagues.
Over the past few weeks, after Basel-based gender researcher Franziska Schutzbach and some of her colleagues began using the hashtag #SchweizerAufschrei, or “Swiss outcry”, on social media sites, people across Switzerland began offering everyday examples of sexism levelled against women.
Parliamentarian Min Li Marti of the left-wing Social Democrats chimed in with her own experience, saying she had been told by male colleagues that “this topic is just too complicated, maybe your husband can explain it to you”. (Marti’s husband, Balthasar Glättli, also serves in parliament).
Marti’s fellow Social Democrat Mattea Meyer tweeted about “parliamentary ‘colleagues’ who snicker and ask when there will be naked photos of you”.
Many other female parliamentarians from Switzerland told the Blick tabloid of their experiences with sexual harassment on the job.
Claudine Esseiva of the centre-right Radicals said she has been directly propositioned by male members of both the House and Senate. Social Democrat Yvonne Feri reported similar advances made by journalists who asked her whether she wanted to sleep with them.
And the speaker of the House of Representatives, Christa Markwalder of the Radicals, says she’s been the victim of “sexist statements at the lowest level”.
Threats and recommended action
According to the IPU study, the situation abroad appears to also involve threats of physical violence against women parliamentarians. Nearly 45% of those surveyed said they had been threatened with death, rape, beatings or abduction.
One politician from Asia reported receiving threats about kidnapping her son, while another from sub-Saharan Africa said she is constantly asked whether she is a lesbian and “accused of being aggressive and a bad mother”. Nearly 40% of respondents said the harassment affects their ability to carry out their parliamentary mandates, with some reporting having to adjust their schedules and physical movements to avoid potential violence and intimidation.
About 60% of the survey respondents believe the sexist acts are due to clear-cut positions they had taken on specific issues, and 61% think the acts are meant to dissuade them and their female colleagues from continuing in politics, according to the IPU. Only about 40% of respondents reported having been targeted because of a political rivalry.
To counter and address harassment against female politicians, the IPU recommends that governments strengthen laws and parliamentary codes of conduct and that the media undergo sensitivity training with regard to reporting on women politicians. The study concluded that having more women in parliament “helps to change the political culture” and that “once the phenomenon is visible and recognized, solutions either exist or can be found”.
The IPU, an international organisation representing parliaments around the world, interviewed 55 female politicians from 39 countries for its first study on sexism in parliament. It also gathered data from 42 global parliaments about structures in place to prevent sexual harassment and violence.
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#metoo and harcèlement (harassment) are the words of the year in German-speaking and (for the first time) French-speaking Switzerland.
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