A petition signed by more than 110,000 people is calling for maternity leave in Switzerland to be extended from 14 weeks to six months, reported RTS. The petition was submitted to the Federal Chancellery on Monday. Its organisers argue that the 98 days currently granted are insufficient during the first months of a child’s life. […]
Desire for large families fading in Switzerland
Fewer Swiss people want children, and those who do are having them later. Switzerland’s fertility rate has fallen to its lowest level on record. In 2024 women had, on average, 1.29 children, well below the 2.07 needed to replace one generation with the next, wrote the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). There were 78,000 live births […]
Switzerland enshrines children’s right to a violence-free upbringing
Children in Switzerland now have an explicit legal right to a violence-free upbringing, reported SRF. From July 1st, amendments to the Civil Code state that corporal punishment and other forms of degrading treatment are incompatible with good parenting, reinforcing a growing consensus that physical discipline harms children’s development. The legal change does not create new […]
Switzerland lags behind on support for breastfeeding
Swiss mothers breastfeed at among the highest rates in the developed world. Almost all babies—97%—are breastfed immediately after birth, while half are still being exclusively breastfed at around 17.4 weeks. Comparable figures are lower in neighbouring Germany (46%) and Austria (43.5%). Yet Switzerland performs much less impressively when judged on the policies and institutions that […]
More young Swiss men embracing traditional masculinity
A new Swiss study suggests that attitudes towards masculinity are becoming more polarised. Männlichkeit im Wandel, a report by the University of Zurich’s Jacobs Center, is based on a representative survey of 6,138 people aged 18 to 64 living in Switzerland.Its findings are striking. Young men are much more likely than older men, and far […]
Infant formula containing cereulide toxin remains on sale in Switzerland
Infant formula sold in Switzerland still contains traces of cereulide, a toxin that can cause vomiting and diarrhoea in babies, according to an investigation by RTS. Although the products comply with the emergency threshold adopted by European food-safety authorities, the broadcaster questions both the scientific basis of that limit and the testing methods used to […]
Childlessness and smaller families driving down fertility in Switzerland
Switzerland recorded fewer births and marriages in 2025, extending demographic trends that have become increasingly pronounced over the past decade. According to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), 78,200 children were born in Switzerland in 2025, around 100 fewer than a year earlier. Although the decline was marginal, it marked the fourth consecutive annual fall in […]
Most Swiss primary pupils perform well, according to assessment
Swiss schools appear to be succeeding at their most basic task. According to a nationwide assessment published by Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education, the overwhelming majority of children in the fourth year of HarmoS schooling—the equivalent of second grade in primary school—meet national standards in mathematics and language skills. The survey, conducted in […]
Young Swiss prefer stability over change and dissent
Young Swiss adults are less inclined to rebel than to seek stability, according to the latest Youth Barometer by the research institute GFS Bern, conducted for the pharmaceutical firm Merck. Based on a survey of 1,009 people aged 16 to 30, the study challenges familiar clichés about a restless, risk-taking youth. Rebellion and other supposed […]
New education report – how good is Switzerland’s education system?
A new report suggests that Switzerland is missing one of its central educational targets. Stefan Wolter, an education researcher, argues that the balance between vocational and academic pathways is tilting the wrong way—and that artificial intelligence will not rescue it. Just over 90% of 25-year-olds have completed upper-secondary education, short of the 95% target set […]
