On Sunday, June 14th, thousands of people gathered in major Swiss cities to repeat the feminist strike that took place on the same date, a year ago, and demand respect for women's rights in Switzerland.
ActionAid supports the feminist strike in claiming the rights of Swiss and worldwide women. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the situation for many women around the world has gotten worse: now it is even more necessary to build an inclusive system based on gender equality in Switzerland and elsewhere.
The Swiss gap
Today, women in all sectors are deeply affected by economic and social inequality. In Switzerland, although the Constitution mentions gender equality in different articles, the average wage for men and women counts a difference of -12% for female workers, with peaks of over -14% in the private sector.
In addition, women are less represented in political roles than their male colleagues. This occurs in all bodies at the federal, cantonal and city levels: for example, only 26% of the deputies in the Chamber of Cantons are women.
Overall, the consequences of the pandemic have had a heavier impact on women, especially in terms of family care, care for the sick, domestic violence, but also at work. In fact, women always dealt with finding a balance between paid work and the full-time commitment represented by the care of children and the household, which generally represents a lighter burden on the lives of their male colleagues.
ActionAid has been fighting for years for the full recognition of women's rights and gender equality. We give voice to women leaders and bring about lasting change by unbalancing traditional balances of power: today, in Switzerland, it is time for a change that places women at the core of the country's political and social life.