The army wants to increase the number of women in its ranks: the goal is 10%, compared with 1.5% at present.
Keystone-SDA
Parliament says women in the Swiss armed forces should receive higher pay, with the Senate on Tuesday endorsing a motion – already approved by the House of Representatives – aimed at eliminating existing financial disadvantages.
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Allowances based on previous final income remain low for women who worked part‑time before entering the army, according to Marcel Dobler of the centre‑right Radical‑Liberal Party, who introduced the motion. Consequently, a woman with the rank of major who has completed 1,000 days of military service is paid the same as a recruit on her first day.
This inequality must be eliminated, especially as the army wants to increase the number of women in its ranks: the goal is 10%, compared with 1.5% at present.
The Federal Council also supports this motion.
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Mixed political response to compulsory army orientation day for Swiss women
Return to service for ex-soldiers
The Senate also approved another House of Representative text aimed at strengthening the armed forces. It accepted the motion by Rémy Wyssmann of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party to allow former soldiers to return to service.
However, the Senate sent back to the House of Representatives Mauro Poggia’s motion, which seeks to stop French‑Swiss dual nationals from avoiding their military service obligations in Switzerland.
The two parliamentary chambers agree on the content of this proposal, but their opinions differ on procedural details.
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A day in the life of a woman in the Swiss Army
Adapted from French by AI/sb
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