Dreifuss calls for more equality between sexes in society
The interior minister, Ruth Dreifuss, says traditional role models must be done away if women are to have a better place in society.
Dreifuss said the state was trying to ensure equal rights for men and women with legal measures. But it was up to others to help do away with traditional role models in society.
She said equal rights were enshrined in law, and progress had been made in implementing and improving the status of women. But state intervention had its limits
Dreifuss was speaking in Lucerne on Friday at a ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the main Swiss women’s organisation, Alliance F.
The organisation for the first time awarded a special prize, worth SFr10, 000, to a company for its family- and women-friendly employment policy.
The organisation’s president said there’s a lack of companies in Switzerland, which allow young mothers to continue their professional careers.
The winning company, Metron, which is active in architecture and planning, provides 16-week paid maternity leave for its employees.
Switzerland is one of the last countries in western Europe which does not offer paid maternity leave on a legal basis. Discussions are underway in parliament to introduce an eight-week package. Voters have turned down previous attempts to introduce a more generous solution.
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