Women make up less than 20% of Switzerland’s construction workforce. In some fields such as metal construction, scaffolding and roofing the proportion of women is around 5%. Potential reasons for this include gender-specific conditioning and social norms and the high proportion of men in sector. A survey published this week points to other reasons. Between […]
Swiss voting age of 16 rejected by commission
A federal voting age of 16 is unlikely to be introduced soon in Switzerland after a parliamentary commission charged with looking at the possibility rejected the idea this week, reported RTS. On 21 April 2023, the commission rejected the idea by 14 votes to 11 and recommended dropping the plan. After consulting with Switzerland’s cantons […]
Rates of lung cancer lower in German-speaking Switzerland
Switzerland has high rates of lung cancer by global standards, a phenomenon linked to high rates of tobacco use. Recently published data show a notable difference in lung cancer rates between Switzerland’s main linguistic regions. These difference also correlate with smoking rates. The rate of lung cancer is 57 per 100,000 in Switzerland. For men […]
Grandparents look after 28 percent of Swiss children
Data published this week by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office show that 28% of children aged 0 to 12 years old were looked after by their grandparents. Overall, 61% of children under 13 years old spend part of their time being looked after by someone other than their parents. 35% spend time in childcare, 28% with […]
Swiss Covid deaths in 2021 higher than initially calculated
Data published on 17 April 2023 by the Federal Statistical Office reports there were 5,957 deaths where Covid-19 was the principle cause in 2021. Data at the time estimated there were around 4,500 Covid-19 deaths. The vast majority of Covid-19 deaths in 2021 were among those aged over 64 (92%). The average age of those […]
Switzerland could burn more wood and biomass to meet sustainability goals
A report published this week by WSL, the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Snow and Landscape Research, calculates Switzerland could double the amount of energy it gets from burning biomass to 97 peta joules (PJ) a year, with 50 PJ coming from wood combustion. In 2019, Switzerland generated 41 PJ of energy burning wood. This […]
How Lausanne’s Ukraine Centre is helping Ukrainians help Ukrainians
Within a few weeks of the Russian invasion of Ukraine over 6,000 refugees had fled to Switzerland’s canton of Vaud. In response, three English speaking churches in Lausanne grouped together with other concerned local residents to set up the Ukraine Day Centre to help the refugees. “The canton was doing its utmost to provide vital […]
Geneva’s dangerous addiction to antibiotics
Residents of Geneva consume 45% more antibiotics than an average resident of Switzerland, reported RTS. According to a senior doctor at Geneva’s HUG hospital the canton’s high rate of antibiotic consumption could explain record levels of antibiotic resistance in the canton. Overall, Switzerland’s French speakers consume 40% more antibiotics per capita than their German-speaking compatriots. […]
Large differences in number of C-section births across Switzerland
In Switzerland, around a third of births are by caesarean section. However, this average hides a significant difference between French- and German-speaking Switzerland, reported RTS. In 2021, there were 86,800 births of which 28,500 were delivered by caesarean section (33%). Overall, Switzerland has one of the highest rates of caesarean section in Europe. In France […]
Switzerland’s first female minister dies
On 14 April 2023, the death of Elisabeth Kopp, the first woman appointed to the Federal Council, Switzerland’s cabinet, was announced. Elisabeth Kopp, died on Good Friday at the age of 86 after a long illness, reported SRF. The Zurich native was the first female member of the Federal Council after being elected on 2 […]
