The Swiss leave scheme at crossroads. Gender equality implications of parental and paternity leave proposals

Abstract

Switzerland is characterised by a relatively laggard and gendered leave scheme. This study asks: What were the developments of parental and paternity leave policy proposals in the Swiss Parliament between 1995 and 2014 from a gender equality perspective? Content analysis and a standardized scoring methodology are used to analyse the leave policy proposals submitted by Members of Parliament. The analysis reveals that only a few proposals would create incentives for fathers to use these leaves and would therefore contribute to promoting gender equality. The article discusses future challenges for the development of leave policies in Switzerland from a gender equality perspective.