Swiss officially mark 50 years of women’s suffrage
Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter (middle), flanked by two pioneers of women's political representation: Hanna Sahlfeld-Singer (left) and Ruth Dreifuss (right), in a photo taken before the official event
Keystone / Anthony Anex
An official celebration has been held in the Swiss parliament building to mark 50 years since women gained the right to vote in Switzerland. Tribute has been paid to the pioneers of the women’s movement.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/Federal Department of Justice and Police/SWI swissinfo.ch/ilj
Español
es
Suiza celebra oficialmente los 50 años del sufragio femenino
Some 150 people from politics, business, science and civil society attended the event in Bern on Thursday evening – among them two of the three serving women government ministers: Karin Keller-Sutter (justice) and Viola Amherd (defence). Swiss President Guy Parmelin was also present.
Swiss women officially gained the right to vote on a federal level on February 7, 1971, after Swiss men decided in favour of women’s suffrage in a nationwide referendum. The country wasone of the last countries in Europe to give women the right to vote. The last Swiss canton resisted women’s suffrage until 1990.
‘A whole democracy’
“February 7, 1971 is the birth of that democracy of which we are justly proud today: a whole democracy,” said Keller-Sutter in her speech.
It was “an irony of history” that it was Swiss-style democracy, at that time was highly developed in comparison to other countries, that had contributed to Switzerland being so late in granting women’s suffrage. Keller-Sutter said.
“In no other country – except Liechtenstein – were was the decision to grant women this fundamental civil right in the hands of men with the right to vote, rather than in the hands of the government or parliament,” she underlined. Keller-Sutter thanked those who had fought tirelessly for change.
Nowadays there are more than 40% women in parliament, continued Keller-Sutter, and women make up a majority of students. But was still work to be done in top management and other political bodies, she cautioned. And there are other challenges too, like combining work and family, and domestic violence.
Pioneers
President Parmelin, opening the celebration, also thanked those who fought for women’s suffrage. The women’s movement helped Switzerland move with the times, he said.
Pioneering parliamentarian Hanna Sahlfeld-Singer is interviewed during the event
Keystone / Anthony Anex
Also present were pioneers of women’s political representation, like Ruth Dreifuss, the first women to hold the rotating Swiss presidency (who stood down from the cabinet in 2002), and Hanna Sahlfeld-Singer, one of the first women to be elected to the Swiss parliament in 1971. Young people were also invited.
The event, which was organised by the justice ministry and live streamed, was originally planned for February 4, but was postponed until September 2 due to the pandemic, a statement said.External link
More
More
‘Without women’s suffrage, Switzerland is not a democracy’.
Bodycams: essential for good law enforcement, or a privacy risk?
Did you ever come across bodycams in your place of residence and if so, how do you think the use of bodycams alter the relationship between the public and (transport) police?
This content was published on
Swiss wheelchair racer Catherine Debrunner won the 5,000 metres to bring home Switzerland’s first gold medal at the Paralympics in Paris.
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
Special Swiss coin to mark 50 years of women’s suffrage
This content was published on
This year marks 50 years since women gained the right to vote in Switzerland. The event is to be commemorated with a special gold coin.
This content was published on
Fifty years after getting the right to vote, women are better represented in the Swiss parliament than ever. But this is deceptive.
This content was published on
To mark International Women’s Day, Swiss public television
interviewed a cabinet minister about the need for more women in so-called male domains.
This content was published on
Swiss men continued to deny women the right to vote until 1971. This has inspired two stories of women fighting for women's suffrage.
This content was published on
Switzerland gave women the right to vote on February 7, 1971. The Alpine nation was one of the last to introduce women suffrage.
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.