Initiative calls for 36-week parental leave in Switzerland

Supporters of the initiative argue that family leave will create 2,500 additional full-time jobs each year. Keystone / Gaetan Bally

A coalition of left-wing and centrist groups launched a popular initiative on Tuesday to replace the current maternity and paternity leave policies in Switzerland.

+ Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

They are calling for Switzerland to introduce a combined 36 weeks of parental leave for both parents following the birth of their child.

The popular initiative “A strong society and economy thanks to parental leave (Family leave initiative)” was published in the Federal Gazette on Tuesday. Supporters stated on their website that the goal is to promote equal opportunities in both professional and family life, emphasising that parenthood is a shared responsibility.

However, the current system disadvantages men in their role as fathers and economically penalises women. The text adds that increasing mothers’ participation in the workforce could also help tackle the labour shortage.

Parental leave reform could create 2,500 new jobs

“Family leave is the new generational project that gives working parents the infrastructure they need to support society as a whole,” the committee states. They argue that family leave will create 2,500 additional full-time jobs each year, reaching 25,000 after ten years.

This is due to mothers returning to work earlier and at higher employment rates. The investments would be recouped after 20 years through increased tax revenues and social contributions.

18 weeks per parent

Currently, maternity leave is 14 weeks and paternity leave is two weeks. The initiative proposes 18 weeks of non-transferable leave per parent, to be taken alternately within ten years of implementation. Up to a quarter of the leave can be taken simultaneously by both parents, except for health reasons.

The amount and funding should be based on the allowance for military or civil service. For the lowest salaries, the allowance should match the full income.

The committee, backed by the women’s umbrella organisation Alliance F, the Greens, the Liberal Green Party, the Swiss union organisation Travail.Suisse, and the Women’s Centre, is pushing for implementation within five years if approved by the people and the cantons.

It includes around ten current and former parliamentarians from the Greens, the Social Democrats, the Centre, the Evangelical People’s Party, and the Liberal Green Party, including parliamentarian Léonore Porchet (Green Party) and Gerhard Andrey (Green Party), as well as the president of the Greens, Lisa Mazzone.

The president of Travail.Suisse, Adrian Wüthrich, former parliamentarian Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, and singer Sophie Hunger are also part of the committee. They have until October 1, 2026 to gather 100,000 signatures.

Translated from French with DeepL/sp

How we work

We select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate them into English. A journalist then briefly reviews the translation for clarity and accuracy before publication. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. The news stories we select have been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team.

Did you find this explanation helpful? Please fill out the short survey on this page to help us understand your needs.