Do men benefit more? Why gender equality doesn't play a role in the Federal Parliament
Switzerland is debating billions for the army or cuts in development aid - but gender equality falls by the wayside when it comes to the budget. Gender budgeting? Not a thing.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The impact on gender equality was not addressed in the Swiss Budget 2025.
- This is despite the fact that women often benefit less from public funds.
- While other countries specifically pursue gender budgeting, Switzerland remains largely inactive.
- Only Lucerne carried out an analysis in 2024, but without targeted measures.
- Experts are calling for a deliberate redistribution, for example through more daycare subsidies or paternity leave.
In December, the Swiss budget for 2025 was hotly debated in the Federal Parliament. The question was who would receive how much money: How much for the farmers? How much for the army? And who will have to tighten their belts? But one aspect went completely unnoticed: the impact of the budget on gender equality.
Equality between men and women has been enshrined in the Federal Constitution since 1981, but in many areas of life it is still not a reality. This is where the concept of gender budgeting comes into play - looking at government spending through "gender glasses". The central question here is: do men and women benefit equally from public funds?
Women benefit less from public funds
"The state budget is seen as a lever for equality, looking for shortcomings in the distribution of funds and directing them in such a way that they ensure gender equality," explains economist Katharina Mader from the Vienna University of Economics and Business to the Beobachter.
Reports by international organizations such as the OECD or UN Women show that women often benefit less from public funds. Spending on infrastructure, healthcare or education is often geared towards male needs. Women, on the other hand, require different access to healthcare due to pregnancy, for example. They also have different needs when it comes to childcare or pensions, as they take on the majority of unpaid family and care work.
What is Switzerland doing? Not much
Examples from abroad show that gender budgeting delivers concrete results. The French city of Rennes redesigned its school playgrounds - more greenery, fewer football cages - to make them more attractive for boys and girls. In Bordeaux, it was noticed that 80 percent of skate parks and outdoor fitness areas are used by men, so they reserved times exclusively for women.
And what is Switzerland doing? Not much. Although there were initial efforts towards gender budgeting 20 years ago in Zurich and Basel-Stadt, these quickly petered out. The topic is currently not in the spotlight either at federal level or in the cantons.
Lucerne is the exception
One exception is the city of Lucerne, which analyzed its government spending in 2024. The result: spending for women and men is balanced overall. But for economist Mader, Lucerne is not yet a shining example: "Lucerne has neither consciously distributed the money nor used it specifically for gender equality."
The real work only begins after the analysis, emphasizes Mader: finding gaps, defining equality goals, directing funds accordingly. One goal could be to promote the economic independence of women - for example through more subsidies for daycare centers, paternity leave or the expansion of care facilities.
However, other priorities seem to be set in the Federal Parliament. While millions for the army or cuts in foreign aid are being debated, the issue of gender equality is falling by the wayside. Perhaps the next budget debate should not just be about francs and centimes, but also about how the money is distributed - and for whom.
