The Federal Council agreed on Wednesday that the equal pay revision to the Gender Equality Act, passed by parliament in December 2018, will come into force on July 1, 2020. Companies will have one year to publish a gender pay gap analysis audited by a qualified specialist.
The law affects firms with 100 or more employees. Although this applies to less than 1% of companies in Switzerland, they employ 46% of workers.
The analysis must be conducted every four years, unless the company shows no inexplicable wage gap between men and women in the first assessment. However, no sanctions will apply for companies with remaining pay gaps.
Employers are not required to publish the results externally but must share them with employees. The requirement is valid for 12 years – until July 2032 when the law is set to expire.
The government is also required to perform gender gap analyses, which have been performed twice so far: in 2013 and 2018.
Contested subject
The law was highly contested in parliament. The Federal Council supported a more ambitious proposal covering companies with 50 or more employees and without an expiration date.
Gender equality activists and left-wing parties celebrated the passing of the law while conservative parties argued the revision to the law to be excessive.
Several other countries including the UK have mandatory gender pay gap reporting, considered a step towards eliminating gender discrimination.
Women in Switzerland earn about a fifth less than men, according to the Federal Equality Office. This means every woman loses out on an average of CHF600 ($625) a month.
The International Labour Organization recently ranked Switzerland near the bottom of the list when it comes to the gender wage gap in senior roles.
Popular Stories
More
Aging society
No house generation: the impossibility of buying property in Switzerland
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?
Switzerland plans to use satellite images to monitor ground motion
This content was published on
The Swiss government wants to detect previously unknown ground movements, particularly those related to thawing permafrost.
Swiss museum wins European environment sustainability prize
This content was published on
The Muzoo Museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds was awarded the Meyvaert Museum Prize for Environmental Sustainability in Byalystok, Poland.
Swiss police chief want criminals to prove they are not laundering money
This content was published on
In an interview with the NZZ am Sonntag, she brought up the reversal of the burden of proof in cases of money laundering.
Switzerland to host European Political Community summit in 2027
This content was published on
The EPC summit brings together the continent's heads of state and aims to be a platform for political and strategic discussion on the future of Europe.
This content was published on
Equal rights may be enshrined in the constitution, but from the workplace to the home, inequality between men and women persists.
Mothers face double-edged sword in Swiss workplace culture
This content was published on
More women in Switzerland are calling for an end to a stigma on mothers in the workplace that is holding their careers and the country back.
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.