Swiss women take to streets again to fight inequality
Thousands of women are expected to attend strike action across Switzerland on June 14, with trade unions demanding equal pay.
The gender pay gap will be the central focus of this year’s Women’s Strike, along with a protest of other forms of discrimination and harassment in the workplace.
+ Why women went back on strike after 30 years
The Swiss Trade Union Federation said on Tuesday that women took home 43% less income than men on average last year.
Some of this discrepancy can be explained by more women working part-time hours and taking on lower paid jobs such as cleaning.
But women also earn 18% less than men for doing comparable jobs, making Switzerland one of the worst countries in Europe for unequal pay.
+ The statistics on Swiss workplace inequality
The Trade Union Federation complained that “virtually no progress” had been made on women’s rights since the first national strike in 2019.
This includes a continued lack of child day-care facilities that would enable more women to work.
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