Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Swiss gender pay gap among the widest in Europe

Gender pay gap
© Keystone / Gaetan Bally

The gender pay gap in Switzerland is still among the biggest in Europe. In 2020, women earned on average 18.4% less than men for equivalent work, according to new figures.

The Federal Statistical Office (FSO) reportedExternal link on Tuesday that Switzerland had a similar gender pay gap to Germany and Austria (18.3% and 18.9%, respectively).

In Europe, the earnings gap between men and women is highest in Estonia (21%) and Latvia (22.3%). The European Union average currently stands at 13%.

In the Netherlands, where female participation in the workforce is comparable to Switzerland, men earn on average 14.2% more than women, FSO said.

In Switzerland, 75.4% of women aged 15 to 64 have a job, the statistics office revealed. This is one of the highest rates in Europe after Iceland and the Netherlands. The EU average is 63.4%.

More

But this is explained by the high percentage of women employed part-time in Switzerland (60.9% in 2021). The EU average is 28.8%.

The FSO figures also examined female participation in national parliaments in Europe. This ranges from 47.6% in Iceland to 14.1% in Hungary; the EU average is 31.3%. In Switzerland, 42% of the parliamentarians in the House of Representatives are women. Higher rates are observed in Belgium, Spain, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Iceland, the statistics office said.

More

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

A still from the film The Miracle of Helvetia for the "Super Superior Civilization" exhibition at the Swiss pavilion, organised by Pro Helvetia, at the 60th Venice Biennale on April 14, 2024.

More

Swiss parliament cuts Swiss Arts Council budget

This content was published on The Swiss parliament has approved a culture budget of almost CHF1 billion for 2025-2028. However, the budget of the Swiss Arts Council (Pro Helvetia) has been cut.

Read more: Swiss parliament cuts Swiss Arts Council budget
From the first quarter of 2025, 85 branches of UBS and Credit Suisse will be merged.

More

UBS to keep 190 bank branches in Switzerland

This content was published on The head of UBS Switzerland, Sabine Keller-Busse, says around 190 bank branches will remain across the country when Credit Suisse is fully integrated in 2026.

Read more: UBS to keep 190 bank branches in Switzerland
The 150 job cuts, announced to staff last week, are "due to a hardened and persistently difficult economic environment", a Syngenta spokesman said on Wednesday.

More

Syngenta to cut 150 jobs in Switzerland

This content was published on Swiss agricultural chemicals company Syngenta plans to cut around 150 jobs at its Basel headquarters by the end of the year.

Read more: Syngenta to cut 150 jobs in Switzerland
Afghan women stitch clothes at a workshop in Kandahar, Afghanistan, 04 September 2024.

More

States criticise Taliban’s new morality law

This content was published on Almost 60 countries, including Switzerland, have issued a joint statement condemning a new morality law introduced in Afghanistan by the Taliban.

Read more: States criticise Taliban’s new morality law

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

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.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR