Language is a complicated matter in Switzerland. The nation has four official languages and numerous other languages and dialects. On top of this some Swiss have had to cope with shifting language borders. Between 1860 and 2000, 83 municipalities, known as communes (in French), Einwohnergemeinde1 (in German), comuni (in Italian) and vischnancas (in Romanche), changed their official […]
Swiss upper house calls on executive to end marriage tax penalty
In Switzerland, some married couples pay more tax than unmarried ones, something referred to as the marriage tax penalty. The issue has been doing the rounds of the halls of Switzerland’s government for around 30 years. On 28 February 2016, a vote to change the current system was narrowly rejected by 50.8% of voters. Then […]
Referendum calling for 4 weeks paternity leave withdrawn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 […]
Record numbers protest for climate action in Swiss capital
According to protest organiser Climate Alliance, between 60,000 and 100,000 people gathered in Bern, Switzerland’s capital, last week to urge greater action on climate change. Climate Alliance, says it represents 80 environmental organisations. 100'000 !#Berne #ClimatDeChangement #ClimateAction #ClimateJustice pic.twitter.com/Yl7ge9PNHi — Alliance Climatique Suisse (@alliance_climat) September 28, 2019 Local police did not want to comment on […]
Swiss government supports ban on live grinding of baby chickens
Both Switzerland’s parliament and executive support a ban on the practice of grinding baby chickens alive, according to the newspaper 20 Minutes. Only female hens can lay eggs. Many of the hens used to produce eggs come from hatcheries that sort and dispose of the male chicks. A government commission said that while the practice […]
Steep drop in violence among young men in Switzerland
After quadrupling between 1995 and 2008, acts of violence among men aged 15 and 24 in Switzerland dropped by 56% between 2008 and 2017, according to a recent analysis by accident insurer Suva. In 2017, there were around 1,600 violent offenses, compared to around 3,600 in 2008. The number of cases has been broadly flat […]
Switzerland’s regional exercise differences
More people in Switzerland are exercising for 2.5 hours a week, a level recommended by Swiss sports organisations. In 2002, 63% of the population across all of Switzerland was getting this amount of exercise. In 2017, 76% of the population spent this much time exercising, according to a study by the Federal Statistical Office that […]
Hitting women acceptable to a significant percentage of boys in Switzerland
A study done by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences shows surprisingly high support for violence against women among young people in Switzerland, according to the Aargauer Zeitung. 8,300 young people at school aged 17 and 18 across 10 cantons were asked a series questions. Around half of the group were boys. As part of […]
Switzerland’s most popular names in 2018
In Switzerland one name really stands out. At the end of 2018, 82,577 people called Maria were living in Switzerland, almost twice the number with the second most popular female name Anna (41,582), according to figures from the Federal Statistical Office. Maria’s secret to success is partly its historical appeal across all of Switzerland’s linguistic […]
