The Swiss Gender Equality Act of 1996 (GEA) aims to prevent
discrimination based on gender in the work space. On 14 December
2018, the Swiss Federal Assembly passed a revision requiring
employers to conduct a periodical wage equality analysis. The
revised GEA and the new corresponding Ordinance on Wage Equality
Analysis will enter into force on 1 July 2020.
Background
Since its enactment in 1981, the constitutional principle of
wage equality requires equal pay for equal work within a company
– regardless of an employee's gender. The GEA further
elaborates on this principle and attempts to establish real
equality between women and men. However, currently there is still a
gender wage disparity in Switzerland which cannot be justified on
objective grounds. With measures focused on the employer side, the
recently passed amendments to the GEA represent a renewed effort to
close the gender wage gap.
