Switzerland : fathers will get two weeks paid paternity leave

On 11 September the Swiss parliament backed a proposal to give fathers two weeks of paid paternity leave per child. As one of Europe’s few remaining nations not offering paternity leave hitherto, this move represents a nothing short of a mini-revolution. In actual fact, and as signaled by the women’s strike on 14 June 2019, Switzerland’s population is seeking much more. Already waiting in the wings for a referendum vote during the spring 2020 is a popular initiative calling for at least four weeks of paternity leave, which, if passed, could swiftly render the new leave arrangement obsolete.