According to the Swiss Earnings Structure Survey (2022), the current pay gap is 12%. The pay gap is illegal and directly contravenes the Gender Equality Act laid down in the Federal Constitution.
The date of Equal Pay Day changes from year to year, since it illustrates the current pay gap. If a man receives his salary starting from 1 January, 2026, a woman will have to work 12% of the year for free until she starts getting paid too, i.e. until 13 February, 2026.
As we do every year, we are once again focusing on a specific topic:
Article 8 of the Federal Constitution states that men and women have equal rights and goes on to specify that this applies above all in the family, in education, and at work, and that men and women are entitled to equal pay for work of equal value.
Having your own income that covers your expenses is the basis for making your own life decisions. It is incomprehensible why two people of the same age doing the same job should be paid differently simply because of their gender.
Even today, 27 years after the Federal Constitution came into force, the world of work is still not fair to women. Campaigns such as Equal Pay Day are still necessary to draw attention to these injustices.
To achieve this equality, we need
a fair division of household labor and paid work
affordable external childcare
new working time models such as a 4-day week, top-sharing, job-sharing, etc.
fair allocation of and/or remuneration for care work
same rates for paid volunteer work
fair distribution and definition of leisure time
enough time for self-care
We all have to work together to eliminate structural disadvantages by influencing politics, changing our gender roles in society, and making our decisions carefully, because these also influence how we will live in old age. Unfortunately, young women in particular are often not aware that they are setting the course at the latest when starting a family, with the (partial) withdrawal from working life this often entails.
Our career choices and the decision to work part-time are also in our hands. Alliance F illustrates how these and other life decisions influence our salary, our career opportunities, and our pensions with its new cash or crash tool that lets you calculate the impact of your decisions.
The public sector should set an example in encouraging equal pay. In signing the Charter, which was launched in 2016, public authorities – in their role as employers, subsidy-providers and procurers of services – encourage the implementation of equal pay in their areas of influence. Since November 2019 it has also been possible for state-associated organisations to sign up to the Charter. The joint commitment is intended to send a signal to public and private employees.
Further information
Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, Conseillère fédérale, Département fédéral de l'intérieur DFI
