Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Switzerland’s first female federal judge dies aged 89

Margrith Bigler-Eggenberger
Bigler-Eggenberger, pictured at her home in 2019, was a champion of equal rights. © Keystone / Christian Beutler

St. Gallen native Margrith Bigler-Eggenberger, who made history in 1972 with her appointment to the Federal Supreme Court, died last Monday, her family announced on Saturday.

Bigler-Eggenberger was first elected as a substitute judge to the country’s highest court one year after women in Switzerland gained the right to vote at the federal level. In 1974 she became a full federal judge and subsequently served in the court’s second civil division for 20 years.

The lawyer, lecturer and journalist was an expert on social security law and the status of women. Confronted at an early age by the fact that her brother could vote and she could not, Bigler-Eggenberger became a champion of equal rights. As a federal judge she was involved in Switzerland’s first equal pay trial in 1977.

Margrith Bigler-Eggenberger
Bigler-Eggenberger, standing next to her husband Kurt Bigler, receives congratulations upon her election as a full federal judge in 1974. Keystone / Str

Born in 1933 in canton St. Gallen, Bigler-Eggenberger nearly missed her chance to accede to the highest court after her application file was tampered with. Although she had been a cantonal judge and university lecturer, the file presented to parliament claimed she was a trainee and housewife. She became the subject of negative comments in the Swiss-German press and was elected by parliament by a razor-thin majority.

“Obviously my CV had been cut down to reflect this false image of the incompetent woman who wants to move from the stove to the Federal Supreme Court,” she later said. “That hurt a lot.”

“Those early days at the federal court were not easy,” she added. “Some of my colleagues even refused to talk to me.”

Bigler-Eggenberger remained the country’s lone female federal judge for 17 years. She resigned from the court in 1994 but continued to work as a part-time federal judge for another two years. She later worked as a journalist and published a seminal work on inequality between women and men.

She was married to the German-Swiss educator and Holocaust survivor Kurt Bigler, who died in 2007.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Gestational diabetes increases the risk of adult-onset diabetes

More

Gestational diabetes found to increase risk of adult-onset diabetes

This content was published on A research team from the Lake Geneva region has identified persistent dysfunctions in glucose regulation in women with gestational diabetes. In the long term, this can increase the risk of adult-onset diabetes by up to ten times.

Read more: Gestational diabetes found to increase risk of adult-onset diabetes
The Graubünden village of Brienz has to be evacuated by midday on Sunday

More

Swiss village must be evacuated by midday on Sunday

This content was published on The village of Brienz-Brinzauls in eastern Switzerland, which is threatened by a rockfall, must be evacuated by 1pm on Sunday. All residents must leave the village.

Read more: Swiss village must be evacuated by midday on Sunday
Former judge in Chur found guilty of rape

More

Former Swiss judge found guilty of rape

This content was published on A former judge of the Graubünden Administrative Court in eastern Switzerland has been found guilty of rape, sexual harassment and threatening a former trainee.

Read more: Former Swiss judge found guilty of rape

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