On May 15, the people of Zurich will vote on the popular initiative “for parental leave”. The initiators promise more equality, the opponents see dangers for the business location.
the essentials in brief
- In a cantonal popular initiative, the SP calls for 18 weeks of parental leave for both mothers and fathers. Today it is 14 weeks for mothers and two weeks for fathers since national paternity leave came into force last year.
- The advocates argue that parental leave designed in this way promotes equality, improves father-child relationships and is economically advantageous because it would increase the employment rate of women.
- Opponents argue that a cantonal solution doesn’t make sense because it would result in a national patchwork quilt. Economically, the initiative is a disadvantage for Zurich because local companies have to pay for parental leave. A total of 36 weeks of parental leave is also excessive and expensive.
In January 2020, the SP submitted the signatures for the cantonal popular initiative “for parental leave (parental leave initiative)”. The initiative envisages that parental leave in the canton of Zurich should be extended, from which fathers in particular should benefit.
Maternity leave is currently 14 weeks in Switzerland. In September 2020, Swiss voters also decided to grant fathers two weeks of paid paternity leave.
The SP initiative now provides that both parents should each be entitled to 18 weeks of paid parental leave. This would not only apply to the birth of one’s own child, but also to adoption if the child has not yet reached the age of 18. People who live and work in the canton of Zurich are entitled to 18 weeks of parental leave. Fathers and mothers who work in Zurich but live in another canton are each entitled to 14 weeks of parental leave.
The Zurich Cantonal Council recommends rejecting the initiative by 108 to 56 votes. In Parliament, the center had put forward a counter-proposal that provided for 14 weeks per parent. However, the counter-proposal narrowly failed with 82 votes to 81 against the resistance of the SVP, FDP and GLP.
Today’s maternity allowance as well as the two-week paternity leave are financed through the income compensation scheme, which is fed by contributions from employers and employees. An additional contribution would be required for parental leave in Zurich. This would be paid equally by employees and employers working in the canton of Zurich. It is not yet clear how high the contribution rate would be. It would be set by the canton’s social security agency. If the contribution does not cover the costs, the canton would have to step in until the rates are adjusted accordingly.
From the point of view of the proponents, Switzerland is lagging behind in an international comparison. Much longer parental leave is not only known in the Scandinavian countries, but also in Germany, Austria and France, parents have more paid time after the birth of a child.
The current system in Switzerland cements old role models. Because the mothers would be forced to take on most of the care of the baby after the birth. If the fathers had the same length of paternity leave, they could also be more involved in childcare. Parental leave therefore promotes equality. In addition, studies have also shown that the relief has a positive effect on the health of mother and child.
Disadvantaging women in the labor market is also combated with evenly distributed parental leave. Even if no one admits it, the fact that fathers are absent for less time than mothers plays a role in hiring or promotion decisions today. This problem will be solved with the initiative. It also increases the employment rate of women, which increases their financial independence.
Ultimately, the economy, which today suffers from a shortage of skilled workers in many areas, also benefits from greater participation by women in the labor market. The additional costs caused by longer parental leave would be compensated if the employment rate of women increased.
The opponents are of the opinion that the initiative harms the business location. On the one hand, it causes costs of over 400 million Swiss francs, which employees and employers would have to bear. This would make Zurich less attractive as a location for companies. On the other hand, the purchasing power of employees would decrease due to the higher taxes.
With around 17,000 births in the canton each year, the initiative would result in 340,000 weeks of additional absences. This corresponds to 7,500 full-time positions that would have to be replaced, which would further exacerbate the shortage of skilled workers. For many, especially smaller and highly specialized companies, it is difficult and expensive to organize deputies. The absences would also increase the burden on the employees.
A Zurich solution would also create injustice. For example, if a company has locations inside and outside of the canton of Zurich, employees of the same company would have very different vacation entitlements.
The initiative also violates federal law. For example, the cantons of Bern and Basel-Stadt stopped attempts to introduce parental leave at the cantonal level. Acceptance of the initiative would therefore result in legal uncertainties.
Women continue to be disadvantaged in professional life. However, the parental leave initiative is not the right solution to the problem. Going it alone would have strange consequences. For example, employees of the same company would have different holiday entitlements depending on their location.
Zurich employees would also have to pay higher taxes on their wages than employees in other cantons. And not too tight. It is expected to cost over 400 million Swiss francs. Especially small companies with tight margins and people with low salaries would have to struggle with the additional taxes.
If anything, a national solution that allows for a more flexible distribution of parental leave would be preferable. However, well-designed childcare options would be more important for a higher employment rate for women. In addition, not only the state, but also the economy is called upon to do even more for equality, for example with more flexible work and management models.