Lower income for young Swiss women despite educational advantage

Young women lag behind in terms of income despite having a head start in education Keystone-SDA

Despite having an educational advantage, young women in Switzerland continue to earn less than men. Whilst the pay gap has narrowed significantly, it still stands at 14% for those born in 1995.

This is shown by a study by the University of Lausanne and the Fors Centre of Excellence in Social Sciences, in the journal Social Change in Switzerland. For this study, researchers Daniel Oesch and Oliver Lipps analysed data on over 215,000 people aged between 25 and 34 from the Swiss Labour Force Surveys covering the period from 1991 to 2024.

In a press release accompanying the study, the researchers describe this trend as a “catch-up”. Among 25 to 34-year-olds born in 1965, women’s total earned income was still 55% lower than that of men. For those born in 1995, the gap has narrowed to 14%.

The genders have also been converging in terms of labour force participation and working hours. The difference in weekly working hours fell from 17 hours to less than four hours. The gap in standardised hourly wages narrowed from almost 20% to less than 5%.

Children widen income gap

According to the study, a key driver of this trend is the reversal in educational attainment. In 2025, 54% of young women in Switzerland held a tertiary qualification (university, university of applied sciences, higher vocational education), compared with only 48% of young men.

Women are also increasingly moving into occupations with higher earning potential.

This catch-up is also reflected in international comparisons. Whilst the 1965 cohort had the second-largest income gap compared with France, Sweden, Britain and the United States, the 1995 cohort now has the smallest gap among these countries.

According to the study, parenthood remains a key dividing line. Once a family is established, the income gap widens significantly. Among childless women, the income gap narrowed from 27% to 7% between the 1965 and 1995 cohorts. Among parents, it also narrowed, but remained significantly larger at 51%.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.