On 9 January 2020, Barryland, a foundation in Martigny dedicated to preserving and showcasing the iconic Grand-Saint Bernard dog, announced the arrival of ten new pups. The five female and five male pups were born on 24 December 2019, just in time for Christmas. Both the mother and father are short haired dogs of the […]
Swiss PISA scores continue to decline in 2018
On 3 December 2019, the OECD published the 2018 PISA scores for 79 countries. In Switzerland, around 6,000 school pupils born in 2002 from more than 200 school across Switzerland took the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) test. PISA, run every three years, assesses the extent to which 15-year-old students, near the end of […]
8-step guide to hiring a nanny in Switzerland
Brought to you by quitt.ch 1. What do nannies cost in Switzerland? Nannies are expensive in Switzerland. Average monthly salaries range from CHF 3,300 to CHF 5,000 depending on experience and where you live. Nannies cost more in Zurich, Basel and Geneva than they do in London and New York. This is partly because of the […]
Referendum to ban tobacco advertising in Switzerland reaches 100,000 signatures
An initiative demanding a ban on tobacco advertising has collected 109,969 valid signatures, more than the 100,000 minimum required to launch a popular vote, according to RTS. The planned vote entitled: “Yes to the protection of children and young people against tobacco advertising” demands the federal government ban all forms of tobacco advertising towards children […]
Referendum calling for 4 weeks paternity leave withdrawn
The group behind the popular vote demanding four weeks (20 days) of paternity leave has decided to withdraw its initiative and to accept the government’s counter proposal of two weeks (10 days), according to RTS. From 2021, fathers of newborns will qualify for two weeks of paid paternity leave. Currently there is no paid leave […]
Parents waiting longer to have children in Switzerland
In Switzerland, on average, mothers gave birth to their children at the age of 32 in 2018. And, fathers were on average 35.1 years old, according to the Federal Statistical Office. In 1990, on average, mothers gave birth to their children at the age of 28.9. Switzerland’s fertility rate, or the average number of babies […]
Swiss federal court rules against home schooling
The Federal Tribunal, Switzerland’s highest court, recently ruled that parents have no constitutional right to school their children at home. In 2017, the canton of Basel-City refused a mother’s request to home school her 8 year old son. After a failed attempt to overturn the decision in a cantonal court the woman took her case […]
Swiss upper house votes to further restrict tobacco advertising
Switzerland is one of a small number of countries that has not ratified the World Health Organisation (WHO) ban on tobacco advertising known as FCTC. Currently, Switzerland only bans tobacco advertising on television and radio. The WHO ban goes much further. 181 countries have already ratified the WHO ban. Andorra, Monaco and Liechtenstein are the […]
Swiss upper house rejects parental leave plan
Switzerland’s government been grappling with the politics of extending universal tax-funded parental leave for a number of years. Some are pushing for paternity leave for fathers and others for a shared pool of parental leave, which mums and dads can apportion. There is also a popular vote working its way through the system which aims […]
Nearly 8% of Switzerland’s population has suicidal thoughts
Suicide prevention is a global challenge. Globally, around 800,000 people take their lives every year, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). In 2016, not counting assisted suicides, around 1,000 people in Switzerland took their own lives, a rate of 12 per 100,000, a rate comparable to the average across Europe. To understand suicide better, […]
