Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Motherhood can be a real job risk

Pregnant woman in office, making phone call
Unemployment among women aged 25 to 34 is higher than those of men of the same age group. Keystone/Gaetan Bally

One in seven working women in Switzerland has lost their job because she became a mother, according to a new study.

Nearly 15% of respondents in a survey said they had been unemployed involuntarily for a while after giving birth to a child, the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper quotes a study commissioned by the Federal Social Security Office.

The main reason given for laying off a mother was the lack of suitable part-time jobs in a company.

In other cases, it was the lack of daytime childcare facilities, according to the study carried out by the Bern-based BASS consultanciesExternal link.

The results are based on a survey of about 3,000 women on maternity leave.

Experts have pointed out that the 16-week rule which protects mothers from being dismissed is too short for many women.

Michael Siegenthaler, researcher Zurich’s Federal Institute of Technology, is quoted as saying there is statistical evidence that maternity may have an impact on female unemployment.

In the same newspaper article, Fredy Greuter from the Swiss Employers’ Association points out that many small and medium-sized companies struggle to find solutions for women with children.

“Many women prefer to have a small part-time job. But it is not possible for every job profile,” he is quoted as saying.

More

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Swiss army seeks to buy German howitzers

More

Swiss army plans to buy German howitzers

This content was published on The Swiss army wants to purchase new German armoured howitzers to replace its existing artillery system which has been in operation for over 50 years.

Read more: Swiss army plans to buy German howitzers
US opinion polls show Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump virtually even ahead of the November 5 election.

More

Poll suggests Donald Trump has many fans in Switzerland

This content was published on Around a quarter of Swiss citizens would vote for Donald Trump if they had the chance, according to a recent poll. This percentage is higher than in many other European countries.

Read more: Poll suggests Donald Trump has many fans in Switzerland

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

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.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR