A call for Swiss women to do compulsory military service
Military service attracts few women in Switzerland.
Keystone / Urs Flueeler
Switzerland should make military service compulsory for women in the view of the president of the Swiss Officers' Association (SOG), which has roughly 22,000 members.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ds
Português
pt
Coronel quer que suíças façam serviço militar obrigatório
According to Stefan Holenstein, “it is time that both genders have the same rights and duties in the military.”
His remarks were published on Sunday in the German-language Swiss weekly NZZ am Sonntag.
The SOG is independent of the Swiss government and serves as the umbrella organisation for Switzerland’s regional military officers’ associations.
“We are convinced that the army can no longer do without more than 50% of society’s potential,” Holenstein continued.
All able-bodied Swiss men are called up to do military service from the age of 19. If declared fit for military service – as on average two-thirds of conscripts are –-the only way out is to opt for civilian community service on ethical grounds.
Military service is optional for women. They currently make up less than 1% of those servicing in the Swiss army. The SOG president says a change in culture is among the things needed to attract more female recruits and boost military ranks.
The Swiss army is expected to shrink to 30,000 people – a quarter of its current size – by 2030.To fix the problem, Switzerland’s defence ministry is studying four possible models of compulsory service, three envisage mandatory service for women.
The Geneva-based association “Service Citoyen” plans to launch a citizens’ initiative on August 1 to make military or civilian service compulsory for men and women.
Living longer: What do you think about the longevity trend?
The longevity market is booming thanks in part to advances in the science of ageing. What do you think of the idea of significantly extending human lifespan?
Swiss researchers develop new treatment against lymphoma
This content was published on
The cancer can be effectively combated with the radioactive element terbium. However, the therapy has not yet been tested on humans.
This content was published on
Florian Willet was present when the Sarco suicide capsule was first used in Switzerland in September 2024 and had been placed in pre-trial detention.
This content was published on
At the start of the 113th International Labour Conference in Geneva, Houngbo called for a "more efficient" organisation in front of the 187 member states
Microsoft invests $400 million in Swiss AI expansion
This content was published on
Among other things, the existing data centres in the Geneva and Zurich regions are being expanded as part of this investment.
This content was published on
This is the first study first to report a direct interaction between floating plastic debris in the atmosphere and any species.
This content was published on
The Swiss army says women who have served in a peace-building operation abroad should be able to join the militia army directly.
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.