The evolution of women's political power in Switzerland with Marlène Gerber

Rules of the Game – discussing democratic institutions

Women in Switzerland lacked direct political power until 1971. Up until then, women didn’t have the right to vote and the right to be elected – at least the national level –, despite efforts to introduce women’s suffrage that had started already a hundred years earlier. Yet, once full political rights were obtained, women used the available political instruments and power with strategy and determination.

With Marlène Gerber, I discuss the evolution of women’s political power in Switzerland. She outlines the milestones on this long journey to political equality. One central question is why it took Switzerland so long to introduce women’s suffrage compared to many other countries. We discuss this and many other developments around women’s participation in Swiss politics.

Marlène Gerber is Deputy Director of the Année Politique Suisse, the Yearbook of Swiss Politics, at the Institute of Political Science of the University of Bern. She finished her PhD thesis on the potential for deliberation among EU citizens in 2013, based on a project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Find the show notes with a full transcript and links to all material discussed here: https://rulesofthegame.blog/the-evolution-of-womens-political-power-in-switzerland/

Find more information about Marlène Gerber's research here: https://www.ipw.unibe.ch/about_us/people/dr_gerber_marlne/index_eng.html

Follow Marlène Gerber on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Gerber3Mara

Please enjoy this wider ranging conversation with Marlène Gerber.