Milestones for Swiss women

Anyone who questions the purpose of International Women's Day is in a privileged position, as he or she has obviously not experienced the difficulties faced by women in Switzerland. For a long time, girls had to be satisfied if they had the opportunity to attend secondary school. Choosing a career was also anything but easy. Did you know that in the early 1960s, women in Switzerland were not allowed to do a postal apprenticeship and could only work as assistants? In addition, female teachers in the canton of Zurich were not allowed to marry until 1962.

Until 1988, according to Swiss marriage law, the husband was the head of the family, which gave him the right to manage the assets alone and to forbid his wife or daughter from working. In addition, women were not allowed to vote for a long time. It was not until 1971 that voting rights were introduced at federal level, while at cantonal level there was still one canton in 1990 that only granted women the right to vote by order of the federal court.

But women fought their way through and even made inroads into male domains. In 1983, Regula Eichenberger caused a sensation as Switzerland's first female airline pilot. In 1984, Elisabeth Kopp became the first woman to be elected to the Federal Council. In 2009, Susanne Ruoff became the first female CEO in Switzerland at BT Switzerland AG and in 2012 the first female managing director of Swiss Post. And in 2024, Fanny Chollet became Switzerland's first female fighter pilot.

Today, women are present in many areas, but their share in company management is still low. In 2023, only 22 % of top management positions in Switzerland were held by women, while the proportion in middle management was 24 %. However, this will not stop women from continuing to fight for their rights. A good reason to surprise female friends, wives, colleagues and employees with flowers as a sign of appreciation and encouragement.