Swiss women continue to be paid less than men, particularly in the public sector. The so-called gender wage gap got marginally worse between 2014 and 2018 despite persistent political efforts to tackle wage packet inequality.
On average, women were paid 19% less than male counterparts in the same job in 2018 compared to an 18.1% discrepancy in 2014. The latest figures from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) cover a period of intense public and political debate about the issue, which culminated in a new law in December 2018. Companies with over 100 employees now have to conduct regular gender pay audits and inform employees and shareholders of the results.
The gender wage gap remained roughly the same for the private sector as a whole, but with significant differences between individual sectors. Women were awarded considerably less pay than men in banking and insurance jobs compared to the hospitality industry. In government and local authority jobs, the gap increased from 16.6% to 18.1% in the four-year period.
The FSO figures, released on Monday, also found that excuses for pay discrepancies are wearing thinner. Part of the gap can be explained away by differences in age, work experience and educational qualifications. But the percentage of “unexplained” cases rose from 42.4% in 2014 to 45.4% in 2018. This was particularly pronounced in small companies with less than 20 employees.
This means that CHF684 of extra monthly pay for the average male worker in the private sector appears to have no rational basis. The public sector, which saw a rise in disparity overall, saw fewer unexplained cases of pay difference between men and women in the period covered. However, this still left an average CHF602 extra pay for men each month unaccounted for.
The survey showed that the majority (60.9%) of low paid jobs (less than CHF4,000 or $4,461) were held by women, but this proportion is falling. Four out of five top wage earners (more than CHF16,000 per month) were men in 2018.
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
Sylvain Saudan, ‘skier of the impossible’, dies aged 87
This content was published on
The Swiss father of extreme skiing pioneered descents from the Alps to the Himalayas – and became the sport’s first star.
Hayek family buys additional Swatch shares for nearly CHF11 million
This content was published on
Following the acquisition of registered shares worth over CHF20.6 million on Monday, the Hayek family made another purchase on Tuesday.
Suicide capsule to be used in Switzerland this year, says euthanasia organisation
This content was published on
The organisation “The Last Resort” has confirmed that the suicide capsule Sarco is to be used in Switzerland. This should happen this year, it said.
Ukrainian children flown to Switzerland for cancer treatment
This content was published on
The Swiss air rescue service Rega flew two Ukrainian children with cancer to Switzerland from a hospital in Kyiv hit by Russian missiles.
Swiss Solidarity raises over CHF10 million for victims of extreme weather
This content was published on
The money raised will be used to help those affected by the recent storms and flooding in the cantons of Ticino, Graubünden, and Valais.
Swiss giant Roche given green light for lung cancer drug in Canada
This content was published on
According to a recent study, Roche’s Alecensaro reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 76% compared to chemotherapy alone.
Swiss luxury watch market hit hard by China-led slump
This content was published on
Sales of Swiss-made luxury watches are in sharp retreat as nervous consumers reconsider splashing out on expensive timepieces and demand slumps.
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.
Read more
More
Swiss parliament passes salary equality law
This content was published on
Companies with over 100 employees will have to do regular pay equity checks thanks to a new law passed in the Swiss parliament.
Swiss wage gap between genders remains bafflingly wide
This content was published on
The pay gap between men and women in Switzerland has increased slightly, amounting to hundreds of francs per month on average.
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.