Blog 1: Part 2: Interview with my sister * by Sinje H.
Dear sister: How are we women feeling in Switzerland in 2021?
SH: 50 years of women's suffrage in Switzerland, is there something to celebrate?
BH: No - Switzerland is lagging behind on the women's issue so badly that it hurts. The boost to democracy after the world wars largely faded away in Switzerland, and society is still influenced by the conservative family image. Most of the neighbouring countries introduced women's suffrage after the First World War - in Switzerland only 50 years later. So, women in Switzerland have 50 years less political participation!
As a high school student, I went to the first women's strike, in 2019 I took to the streets again with a good half a million women: Unfortunately, the demands have not lost their relevance. Will it take a third women's strike, or will something finally happen?
Yes, it will surely need a third party. But: something is happening, unfortunately very slowly. For example, the national parliament passed the quota for management and board of directors on January 1, 2021. By 2026, 30% of the board members must be female, and the same goes for managing directors 20% by 2031. That sounds like a little amount, but it is an important step and will make a difference in the world of work. There are no hard sanctions if companies do not adhere to the quota for women, but they must then publicly explain why they did not manage to get enough women into the top floor and prove what they did to get it. And nobody wants that: publicly drop their pants and get scolding from the media. So, something will change. Now is probably the best time for women to become board members!
Nine women have now made it into the Federal Council, three of whom ares still in the office today. 42% of the National Council is female, 26.1% of the Council of States - the Swiss government has never been so feminine. How does the female perspective change Switzerland, what will be different?
A lot has happened politically. However, it should not be forgotten that enormous lobbying work by Alliance F, Helvetia calls, etc. was necessary to achieve this result. We're still a long way from that in the world of work. It's a man’s world!
The gender gap is also evident in everyday life, everywhere. Autotest dummies are standardized for the body of men, which affects the safety of women: they have a 17% higher risk of accidents. In medicine, too, the female body is much more unexplored than the male body (e.g. heart attack). Or the office temperature: on average 5 ° too cold for women, as it is calculated on the male body. Etc.
What is your opinion? Share it with us!
To be continued . . .
Comments