Divorce: «The economic reality is different!»
I want nothing more than to be financially independent," says Claudia M. (name withheld). If only it were that easy. Claudia M. from the canton of Zurich had been married for 18 years when her husband suddenly wanted a divorce two years ago. At the time, Claudia was 47 years old and their two children were teenagers.
She worked in the commercial sector until she had her first child, but when she became a mother, she retired from working life. When her son was just under a year old, Claudia wanted to return to work. «For my husband, however, reducing his one hundred per cent workload was not an option.» Claudia cannot and does not want to afford external childcare.
Years of voluntary work
With a lot of luck, she finds a job in a private childcare centre where she can take her children to work with her. She worked there part-time for a good ten years. «At some point, I no longer felt challenged and wanted to do something else.» Returning to her old job turned out to be impossible, partly because of the children and partly because of her long absence. So for years she volunteered in her community.
When the children reach their teenage years, Claudia wants to seize the opportunity and start a new apprenticeship. «I would have been interested in something to do with social pedagogy. I was looking forward to a new challenge.» When her husband wanted a divorce - «totally out of the blue» for her - the apprenticeship fell through.
The children live with her after the divorce, they only want to see their father irregularly. She does not want to force them to do so. Although Claudia receives alimony, the divorce settlement stipulates that she will no longer receive maintenance payments at the end of 2021. The aim is for her to be fully economically integrated and independent of her husband again.
According to case law, despite being 47 years old and having been away from work for almost 20 years, she can reasonably be expected to work 80 to 100 per cent of the time. «Of course I can be expected to do that - I think I'm capable of it myself. But the economic reality is different,» she says.
Job search and exhaustion depression
Claudia finds a 40 per cent job in the commercial sector that doesn't pay anywhere, then increases it to 100 per cent. And then she really hits rock bottom. The new, fast tools, the huge demands, the immense pressure - it's all too much. Claudia falls into a depression of exhaustion and resigns during her probationary period.
The subsequent job search in her trained profession, which continues to this day, is sobering: «Although I have a wide range of professional and life experience, I wasn't able to specialise. I am an all-rounder. These niches hardly exist in the profession anymore, or you don't have access to the jobs.»
Claudia wants to work 100 per cent, wants to stand on her own two feet, be independent and free. But once again, the reality looks different. She is doing a Red Cross course and working as a care assistant. «I earn just under CHF 3,000 a month, full-time. How am I supposed to live on that in future? The idea of slipping into poverty - like so many divorced women - worries me a lot.» The multiple burdens and existential fears she has endured over the years have left their mark on her and it takes a lot of strength not to become discouraged.
I don't want to have to beg for money. I want to work.
Claudia M. doesn't want to pillory her ex-husband. «Marriages fail, and it's not about blame or accusation. As a woman, I don't want to see myself as a victim either, I want to do everything I can to lead a self-determined life.»
Nevertheless, she doesn't think the unequal relationship is entirely fair. «For years, I have made sure that the children have a stable structure and I still fulfil my parental duty of presence, because this remains important even during puberty.» While her ex-husband leads a more or less carefree life, she sees herself in the role of a supplicant. «I don't want to have to beg for money. I want to work.»
Standing on your own two feet
Her attempts to get job offers via networks or official jobs also regularly fail. And her chances get worse with every year she gets older. «The economy should be held accountable somehow,» she says. «Women in similar situations need more benevolent support and opportunities.»
Her greatest wish: to stand on her own two feet financially at some point. Claudia doesn't want to give up on this dream. Even if it is difficult. «I really want nothing more than to succeed one day. Then I'll finally go on holiday again. A very simple holiday. But just for me alone.»
