On 11 September the Swiss parliament backed a proposal to give fathers two weeks of paid paternity leave per child. As one of Europe’s few remaining nations not offering paternity leave hitherto, this move represents a nothing short of a mini-revolution. In actual fact, and as signaled by the women’s strike on 14 June 2019, Switzerland’s population is seeking much more. Already waiting in the wings for a referendum vote during the spring 2020 is a popular initiative calling for at least four weeks of paternity leave, which, if passed, could swiftly render the new leave arrangement obsolete.
On Wednesday 11 September, a majority of 129 members of Switzerland’s lower house voted in favor of introducing two weeks paternity leave, with 62 voting against. The paternity leave arrangements are set to run alongside those already in place for the existing 14-weeks of maternity leave. Only the conservative Swiss People’s Party (SVP) voted against this move on financial grounds as it is convinced the cost of the project risks destabilizing the Swiss social insurance accounts with a burden be
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