Carrying the torch for political women
I have been handed the torch – I’d like to say the Olympic torch – by Marina Carobbio Guscetti, and I will continue her work to improve the role of women in leadership positions and political life. In particular, I intend to do so by preparing and promoting the festivities to mark 50 years of the women’s franchise in Switzerland, in 2021.
The Political Women webpage has attracted much attention during its first year, with information on International Women’s Day, the inauguration of commemorative plaques for the first women elected to Parliament, the round table on professions, and the suspension of the session in the National Council to express Parliament’s solidarity with the Women’s Strike.
During my presidency, I will think about how the Political Women webpage can best reach its target audience – women of course, but also the younger generation. It should also make a contribution to the discussion by presenting women’s rights in the light of the issues debated in Parliament.
When I arrived in Bern thirteen years ago, my first daughter was just two months old. At the time, young children had to be smuggled into the Parliament Building. This experience no doubt encouraged me to make the reconciliation of work and family life a key focus of my political activities.
Young parents and their children should be made to feel welcome here. And to ensure this is the case, Marina and I have organised a room on the ground floor, close to the Council chambers, where young mothers can breastfeed. Fathers can also feed their children there, change a nappy and enjoy a moment of peace and quiet.
Equal pay for women and men, support for those caring for elderly relatives, tax equity between married and unmarried couples, closing the gap between women’s and men’s pensions, in particular occupational pensions: the Swiss expect clear and rapid answers on family policy in this crucial legislative period. The Political Women webpage will report on all these things.
Isabelle Moret, President of the National Council
The Political Women webpage has a new head, after Marina Carobbio. President of National council Isabelle Moret wish a contribution to the discussion by presenting women’s rights in the light of the issues debated in Parliament.
Themes