Childcare and female employment rates in Switzerland and globally

Switzerland has one of the highest female employment rates in the world. We explain what influences this, how Switzerland’s approach is different, and where it remains very conservative.

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In 1997, the Canadian provincial government of Quebec implemented generous subsidies for child care services. As a result, child care prices have dropped significantly. Five years later, the effect of this decision can be clearly measured: mothers with young children are now more involved in working life, regardless of their educational level. Their participation rate increased by 8 percentage points and their working hours increased by 231 hours per year.

Canada's example shows how countries can proactively increase women's employment rates. Here you can see how and why employment rates are not everything, as the Swiss example clearly shows.

Comparison of female employment rates across countries

In recent decades, more and more women have entered paid work around the world. According to a 2012 World Bank report, male employment rates declined during the same period. Specifically, in 2008, 51.8% of women globally participated in the labor market, compared with 50.2% in 1980. For men, this figure dropped from 82% (1980) to 77.7% (2008).

But global differences vary widely. In Turkey, for example, just over a third of women are active in the labor force, but in many European countries, especially Nordic countries such as New Zealand or Iceland, the number is almost double. Switzerland is also part of this group: 62% of women in the country participate in the labor force; this ratio ranks seventh globally and well above the OECD average. However, the employment rate for men in Switzerland is also high compared to other countries, at 72.4%.

Let's move on to the exciting comparison, starting with a brief advertising note:

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What information can be obtained from this data? “You have to be careful when interpreting,” warns Gesine Fuchs, lecturer in social policy at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences. “Because these figures only describe paid employment – not unpaid employment.” The statistics themselves do not describe the overall work done by women.

Furthermore, women's employment statistics do not reveal any information about working hours. And these statistics are diametrically opposed to employment rates, especially in Switzerland.

What are the factors affecting female employment rate?

In principle, it can be said that in order for women to participate in the labor market, they must time And that one possibility It must be done. Research shows that factors affecting female participation rates include:

Different countries – different support

Particularly during periods of declining labor supply, economies are very interested in increasing employment rates and thereby better utilizing the potential of their labor force. Many places do this, but using very different models.

die social democratic politicsTake Sweden, for example, which features subsidized daycare centers, paid parental leave, etc. both parents Encourage participation in child care and promote full employment.

In 2021, Innocenti, the research arm of UNICEF, studied how various highly developed countries fare in terms of childcare quality and affordability. Therefore, countries such as Luxembourg, Iceland, Sweden, Norway and Germany perform best internationally. The quality of out-of-home child care is highest in Iceland, Latvia, New Zealand, Finland and Denmark.

liberal welfare stateIn terms of social policy, however, countries such as those in the Anglo-Saxon region have taken a more cautious approach to government household spending. As a result, average-earning couples in Switzerland, Ireland and New Zealand must spend between one-third and half of their salary looking after two children, according to Innocenti's research.

The United States is also a well-known example of a liberal welfare state, with particularly short maternity leave of twelve weeks. In addition, the United States is the only OECD country and one of eight countries in the world that does not have a legally guaranteed paid maternity leave policy. In other words, companies are free to pay mothers during maternity leave.

This example shows that rich countries do not necessarily provide better conditions for mothers and fathers. Low childcare rates and short parental leave are also seen in some of the wealthiest countries, such as Switzerland.

Why Switzerland is a special case

The fact that Switzerland has low child care rates is also reflected in the following statistics:

As shown above, Switzerland has one of the highest employment rates, but at the same time works relatively few hours.

why is that? “The high female employment rate in Switzerland is mainly due to the free labor market,” explains political scientist Gesine Fuchs. This makes it relatively easy for employees to work part-time. Additionally, financial pressures have increased: “Middle-class couples now have to have more than one income to achieve a certain standard of living.”

The state is also trying to specifically promote daycare spaces in the country. So-called start-up financing is a temporary impulse scheme that has been running since 2003 to promote the provision of more daycare places for children. “Research shows that women's employment in Switzerland has benefited from the program,” Fox said. (This plan is on the fringes, however, as the Federal Council plans and recently communicated an austerity package.)

Nonetheless: there is clearly still a strong gender effect, as Swiss men still work above average hours compared to other countries.

On the one hand, there may be financial reasons: for many people, outside childcare is not worth it because it costs more than the extra wages a family brings. On the other hand, there are many signs that Swiss standards remain relatively conservative. Because: Generally speaking, if childcare is too expensive, women in this country will still work less to care for their children.

RealTalk – Podcast

This means that not only unpaid work remains: “Women tend to bear a heavier mental burden. We have all this invisible stuff in our heads” – says Andrea Jansen of RealTalk in a discussion with Christoph Simon. The two discussed daily life when both parents worked. You can listen to podcasts.