How compatibility can succeed

There are many advantages for the state if both parents work. Nevertheless, families who want to do this themselves face many obstacles. Philippe Gnaegi from Pro Familia shows ways out of the dilemma.

Household, children, partnership, caring for relatives - in the modern family, many different things have to be reconciled with gainful employment. In most cases, this task is still performed by women: the still dominant family model sees the mother working part-time and the father working full-time. Just 18 per cent of all men work a reduced workload.
By the time the children are twelve years old, half of women work less than 50 per cent of the time and around 20 per cent do not work at all. So it's time to ask ourselves: what is the current state of work-life balance in Switzerland? Here are ten observations to start with.

Determination 1:

In Germany, just as many women as men complete a university degree. From an economic point of view, the investment in education is not profitable for society. A large proportion of these female university graduates do not work or only work small hours.

Statement 2:

A degree of employment of less than 60 to 70 per cent adversely affects the employee:

  • Im Hinblick auf die Verbesserung ihrer resp. seiner Fähigkeiten: Die Person schöpft ihr Aus- bzw. Weiterbildungspotenzial nicht aus. 
  • Im Hinblick auf die Übernahme von Verantwortung im Unternehmen: Die Person übt wahrscheinlich eine weniger verantwortungsvolle Tätigkeit aus, macht keine Karriere.
  • Im Hinblick auf die Pensionierung: Aufgrund des niedrigeren Pensums zahlen sie weniger in die Rentenkasse ein und werden eine tiefere Rente beziehen.
  • Im Falle einer Scheidung: Betroffene Personen sind oftmals gezwungen, ihr Arbeitspensum zu erhöhen, da ihre Existenz mit einem geringen Teilzeiteinkommen nicht gesichert ist. Nicht selten sind Einelternfamilien von Sozialhilfe abhängig.

Finding 3:

Women and men enjoy spending time with their children, but at the same time appreciate spending time in their working environment.

Finding 4:

In Switzerland, 160 full-time jobs enable many couples to provide a «living wage» for their families.

Finding 5:

The school model in Switzerland requires parents to make an important contribution: accompanying their children in their education (help with homework, communication with teachers, etc.) and in activities outside of school (sport, culture, afternoon supervision, etc.).

Statement 6:

Many stereotypes still exist, both in relation to the ideal family model and in relation to the degree of employment of men and women.

Statement 7:

The costs of external childcare are high and can encourage families to forego a double income. The financial burden on parents varies greatly from canton to canton. For example, parents in Zurich pay twice as much for childcare as those in the canton of Vaud.

Finding 8:

The services and availability of external childcare structures do not always meet the needs of the family.

Finding 9:

The progressive tax system penalises couples in which both partners have a high level of employment.

Statement 10:

Children who are not well integrated into society are at a disadvantage. This is why early intervention, for example in crèches, is so important.

Creating important framework conditions

But how can the compatibility of private and professional life be improved and thus enable both parents to work more than 60 to 70 per cent? It cannot be the task of mothers alone to reconcile work and family life.
Women want to and will become more involved in the labour market, men want to and will spend more time with their children if they have the opportunity to do so. The framework conditions required for this concern various aspects:

1. pedagogical aspects
Schools must do more to support and encourage children - both inside and outside of school. This must be done from the point of view of equal opportunities and with the aim of improving parents' working lives and children's development.
2. financial aspects
Taxation must put men and women on an equal footing before the law - this requires individual taxation. Today, families are at a tax disadvantage. In addition, couples with children bear higher costs than couples without children. If the female employment rate increases, the federal government and cantons will benefit from more tax revenue. These funds should be reinvested so that people who work benefit from better framework conditions, such as high-quality childcare.
3. companies and authorities
If companies and public authorities are looking for more qualified female employees, they must participate in the creation of better financial framework conditions (financial contributions such as in the cantons of Neuchâtel, Vaud and Fribourg, where employers pay part of the childcare costs), in proposals for new working time models (flexible working hours, home office) and in the creation of part-time positions in positions of responsibility.

Just 18 per cent of all men work a reduced workload.

4. childcare facilities
The number of childcare facilities must be increased without neglecting the quality of the services on offer. Not only for young children, but also for older children who stay at school at lunchtime. Companies that offer childcare facilities should benefit from tax advantages.
5. the principle of equality
More measures must be taken to promote equality between men and women, including among people with a migration background. Schools, businesses, administrations and politicians need to pay more attention to gender stereotyping issues by emphasising gender-neutral roles within the family.
Although we at Pro Familia propose a wide range of measures, we believe that there must be freedom of choice as to whether both parents should work. This is an individual decision that parents must be able to make free from constraints. Unfortunately, the framework conditions that would be required for this on the part of the authorities and companies are not yet in place in Switzerland.
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Online compatibility dossier

Dieser Artikel gehört zum grossen
This article is part of the large online dossier on work-life balance. We provide tips on how to successfully combine family and career and show where the major challenges lie.

To the author:

Philippe Gnaegi, Dr., ist Ökonom, ist Direktor von Pro Familia Schweiz und arbeitet als Dozent an der Uni Freiburg. Er ist verheiratet und Vater von drei erwachsenen Kindern.
Philippe Gnaegi, PhD, is an economist, Director of Pro Familia Switzerland and works as a lecturer at the University of Fribourg. He is married and has three grown-up children.

More on the topic of compatibility:

  • If you have children and want to have a career, you pay a high price - especially as a woman. The much-cited compatibility of family and career means one thing above all: a lot of stress.
  • Children: happiness or stress? Parents are constantly under pressure and feel that they are being controlled by others. Why is that? And what can you do about it?