A Swiss government advisory group has again recommended more paid parental leave but has adjusted its previous calculations to distribute time-off more equally between mothers and fathers.
The Federal Coordination Commission for Family Affairs now says that mothers and fathers should be offered the chance to each take 19 weeks leave when their children are born.
However, the Commission wants parents to ultimately choose how they split up the proposed maximum 38 weeks leave between them.
The non-binding recommendation is designed to allow fathers more time to engage with early childcare and for mothers to recover from childbirth.
The Commission added that the extra proposed parental leave – more than double the current quota – would also benefit children and families.
At present, Swiss mothers are entitled to 14 weeks statutory paid maternal leave. Switzerland was one of the last countries in Western Europe to grant paternity leave when voters gave fathers two weeks at the ballot box in 2020.
It is estimated that the extra paternal leave would need up to CHF2.68 billion ($2.9 billion) a year in funding from companies and parents who would only receive partial pay after the first eight weeks of leave.
Related Stories
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Politics
United States’ ‘second lady’ observes Swiss training system
Switzerland could produce up to 5Mt of emissions annually by 2050
This content was published on
Two to five megatonnes of CO2 equivalents per year: this is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that Switzerland is still expected to produce annually in 2050, a new study shows.
US tariffs putting 100,000 jobs at risk in Switzerland
This content was published on
US tariffs of 39% on Swiss imports will directly affect 100,000 jobs, mainly in the watchmaking, machinery, metals, and food industries, economiesuisse warns.
This content was published on
Switzerland has released CHF4 million (nearly $5 million) to help Sudan, which has been severely affected by famine and cholera.
Switzerland rejects new Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory
This content was published on
Switzerland says it rejects the announced construction of thousands of housing units in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian West Bank.
Larry Finck and André Hoffmann named interim co-chairs of WEF board
This content was published on
The WEF also revealed an investigation commissioned by the board has cleared its founder Klaus Schwab and his wife of accusations made by anonymous whistleblowers.
Vice-president of German parliament in favour of Switzerland joining EU
This content was published on
The vice-president of the Bundestag says his country should support closer ties between Switzerland and the European Union given the customs conflict with the United States.
Lindt & Sprüngli reportedly considering shifting Easter bunny production to US
This content was published on
Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli could relocate the production of its gold-wrapped Easter bunnies to the US in order to circumvent the import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
Swiss petition launched against curbing 30km/h speed limit
This content was published on
The Traffic Club of Switzerland (TCS) has submitted a petition to the Federal Chancellery, challenging the 30km/h speed limit on local roads.
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.
Read more
More
Swiss voters approve paternity leave, bury family tax breaks
This content was published on
A two-week paternity leave passed with strong support, while more tax deductions for families with children failed at the ballot box.
Expert committee calls for 38 weeks parental leave
This content was published on
In a study published on MondayExternal link, the Federal Coordination Commission for Family AffairsExternal link, recommends 14 weeks for the mother and eight weeks for the father. The remaining 16 weeks would be split between the spouses, with no obligation to take them. Such leave would be paid at 80% of salary and could be…
Swiss progress on gender equality but problems remain, say experts
This content was published on
Independent UN experts said on Friday that Switzerland has made advances on gender equality in recent years, but concerns remain.
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.