CSW63 : « Closing the Gender Pay Gap », événement parallèle

Excellencies,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you today, as a host of this side event on closing the gender pay gap. I am delighted to address such a diverse public.
And I feel honored to be surrounded by a group of distinguished leaders of other countries and international organizations as well as representatives from private organizations and companies.

Both,
tackling the gender pay gap
and providing a social protection system that benefits women and men on an equal footing
are policy priorities for Switzerland.

In Switzerland women are still paid less than men. The average pay gap between women and men amounts to 18 percent.

In the private sector more than two fifths of this gap cannot be explained by objective factors and is likely the result of discriminatory behavior.

This is a clear violation of our Constitution and of the ILO Convention 100.

And it is unfair: women and their families have less to make a decent living. It leaves them more vulnerable to poverty, especially in old age.

In the private sector, wage inequality damages reputation. It is high time for business to act.
There has to be a “zero tolerance” message by company leaders.
And there have to be concrete measures implemented, starting with analyzing the pay practice.

To assist companies in analyzing the pay practice, the Swiss government has developed a self-analysis tool for private and public employers.

It is called Logib. It enables companies with at least 50 employees to easily check their pay practice. It can be downloaded free of charge on the internet. I am very pleased that a growing number of countries have shown an interest in our tool and have adapted it to their national context.

However, the statistics make it clear that voluntary measures are not enough. Therefore, Switzerland approaches the problem on different levels:

First, the principal of equal pay is embedded in our Federal Act on Public Procurement.

The Confederation awards contracts for services in Switzerland only to companies guaranteeing compliance with equal pay for men and women. Government agencies are empowered to carry out equal pay controls to ensure compliance. Breaching these legal requirements may lead to sanctions. The aim of these regulations is to ensure social achievements and avoid distortion of competition.

Second, the Swiss Parliament adopted recently an amendment to the Gender Equality Act. It obliges all employers with at least 100 employees
to regularly analyze their pay practice,
to have the analysis audited by an independent third party
and to inform their employees and shareholders about the results.
With this new law, Switzerland joins a group of countries such as Germany, France, Great Britain or Iceland that have all recently enacted similar laws.

Third, it is imperative that the public sector sets an example in advancing gender equality at work and in eliminating discrimination of any kind.

This is why I have launched a national Charter for equal pay in the public sector. By signing the Charter, the public authorities commit to eliminate pay inequality, be it as an employer, contractor or in case of awarding subsidies.

Switzerland is strongly committed to gender equality.

I thus feel honored that these efforts have been recognized by the UN by granting Switzerland the 2018 United Nations Public Service Award.

By joining the Equal Pay International Coalition EPIC, Switzerland has moreover demonstrated its readiness to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (Goals 5 and 8.5).
I encourage all of you to join us in this coalition.

Ladies and Gentlemen

There is a strong link between the gender pay gap and social protection: The gender pay gap is both a cause for and an effect of the lack of social protection for women.

On the one hand, the gender pay gap translates into lower pension benefits and makes it more difficult for women to make savings which could protect them against poverty in old age.

On the other hand: the lack of social protection or infrastructure, such as maternity leave or day care facilities, can be a barrier for women to enter the labor force or stay employed. They are deprived of equal opportunities in the labor market.

In Switzerland we have built a strong social security and pension system. It also takes into account women’s unpaid care work. In recent years, we also have increased our efforts to provide accessible, affordable and quality childcare services. The Swiss Government has moreover proposed new measures to better recognize the work of family caregivers.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Closing the gender pay gap benefits everyone – and harms no one.

Now, I am looking forward to the statements of my distinguished co-panellists as well as the testimonials and pledges.

I wish you all an inspiring evening.