At the end of January, lawmakers are expected to debate an expansion to maternity and paternity leave in Switzerland. Here’s what you need to know about the proposals, and how likely they are to succeed.

Parental leave in Switzerland

Under the current system, working mothers are entitled to at least 14 weeks of maternity leave following the birth of their child - some Swiss cantons, such as Geneva, give mothers more time off. As of 2021, fathers and spouses are also given two weeks of paternity or parental leave. In both cases, each parent receives 80 percent of their salary during the time off, up to a maximum of 220 francs per day.

In recent years, the Swiss system has been criticised as it is not as generous as leave programmes provided by other European nations. For example, parents in Italy are given five months of paid absence following the birth of their child, while parental leave in Germany allows couples to take up to three years of leave per child per parent.

Elements from across the political spectrum now see expanded leave as a way of encouraging more people to have children, which alongside immigration can help ease Switzerland’s long-term worker shortages and concerns about the financial health of pensions and other social security programmes. The expanded leave would also ease costs for families, as their children would spend less time in childcare.

How is Switzerland planning to expand maternity leave?

With this in mind, the federal parliament is expected to discuss a number of different parental leave proposals from the end of January 2025. Here’s what you need to know about each:

First is a referendum proposed by an alliance of various political parties and employee associations, which are planning to launch a signature collection campaign this spring. Under the “Family Time” Initiative, mothers and fathers would be given 18 weeks of parental leave each.

The 18 weeks would only be able to overlap by four weeks, meaning each newborn child would be given at least 32 weeks of care from at least one parent. Those on the lowest salaries would receive 100 percent of their wages during the period of leave, while the rest would receive 80 percent.

Swiss cantons call for expanded parental leave

The next are two cantonal initiatives in Valais and Ticino, which were proposed by the youth wing of the Centre Party. Under these plans, parents across Switzerland would be given a total of 20 weeks of leave. At least 14 of the 20 weeks would be taken by the mother, while at least 20 percent of the leave would be taken by the spouse. 

In Geneva, the cantonal government is calling on Bern to give Swiss cantons the right to expand their parental leave further. This stems from the rejection of the 24-week parental leave plan by the Federal Council, on the grounds it violated national law - the proposal was approved by 58 percent of Genevan voters in June 2023. Finally, Canton Jura wants the government to provide a legal basis for parental leave so that cantons can offer more generous benefits.

Lawmakers acknowledge the need for more leave

So far, all the proposals have found support: Social Democratic State Councillor Flavia Wasserfallen confirmed that her party would be campaigning for expanded parental leave. She went further, arguing that "the ideal would be 36 weeks of leave - so 18 weeks each," as parental leave promotes the health of the mother, improves equality and leads to a stronger bond between fathers and their children.

Even the Swiss People’s Party - which has been traditionally opposed to expanding the benefit - are starting to come around. SVP State Councillor Hannes Germann said that while they would not commit to any plan yet, something needed to be done. “We do not want well-educated employees to no longer have children, or to have children but then leave the workforce," he told 20 Minuten.

While he is “against a massive expansion” and argues that the mother should be allowed to receive 100 percent of the leave if they choose to, he thought families should generally be given more time. There is also evidence to suggest that a referendum on the topic would be accepted - a 2023 Sotomo poll put support for expanded parental leave at 57 percent.

Expanded parental leave still faces stiff opposition

On the opposite side of the aisle, FDP. The Liberals State Councillor Josef Dittli announced he would “reject the proposals with all his might.” He argued that expanded leave “is far too expensive for our society, employers, employees and taxpayers and is simply not affordable."

Centre Party State Councillor Brigitte Häberli-Koller also opposed the idea, fearing it would lead to “higher wage deductions for employees and a higher burden for companies." However, she was in favour of the cantons providing more parental leave, so long as they foot the bill.

Expanded parental leave: Where do we go from here?

As it stands, the Council of States' Committee for Social Security and Health is due to debate the proposals at the end of January, after which any accepted ideas will be sent on to the same committee in the National Council and then on to the wider parliament. Whether a plan will be agreed upon, or Switzerland will have to wait for the Family Time Initiative, remains to be seen.

Thumb image credit: Andrew Mobbs / Shutterstock.com