Women are significantly worse off when it comes to occupational pensions

Thousands of women have participated in Swiss-wide strikes to fight inequality since 2019. Keystone / Walter Bieri

Women are still significantly worse off than men when it comes to occupational pensions. This is confirmed by new statistics.

In 2022, women received an average of CHF1,217 ($1,376) per month from the 2nd pillar, compared to CHF 2077 for men.

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The median amount of lump-sum benefits paid out by pension funds and vested benefits institutions was just under CHF153,564 for men and CHF65,622 for women, according to new pension statistics published on Friday by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). this means that 50% of the pensions paid out were higher and 50% lower than this amount.

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Almost half of second-pillar pension recipients living in Switzerland received only a pension in 2022. Just under 37% had their retirement benefits paid out in full as a lump sum. And around a fifth opted for a combination of pension and lump sum.

Different career paths

There are clear gender differences among those who only drew a pension. The median amount for women was almost 40% lower than for men (CHF1,260 compared to CHF2,205). The difference between the sexes was also clear for people who received a combination of pension and lump sum. The median pension for men was CHF2,035, compared to CHF1,192 for women.

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According to the FSO, the large differences between women and men can mainly be explained by different career paths. Women interrupted their employment more frequently and worked more part-time, both primarily for family reasons.

The difference in salary between women and men also leads to differences in occupational pension benefits. The FSO writes that housework and family work, which are more frequently undertaken by women, are unpaid and have no influence on pension benefits.

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