The surge in women's representation in the 2019 Swiss federal elections

In the 2019 Swiss federal elections, women's representation increased more than at any time before, reaching an all-time high at 42%. In this article, we offer several explanations for this. First, in almost all parties, the percentage of female candidates was significantly larger than in the previous elections. Second, on average female candidates held better positions on party lists, both compared to men and to the previous election. Third, in 2019 (but not in 2015) women were about one percentage-point more likely to be elected than men, controlling for many relevant factors. Fourth, about one third of the surge was linked to the fact that parties that won seats in 2019 (the Greens, especially) had more women on their lists compared to the parties that lost seats. Fifth, in 2019 voters (women in particular) perceived female candidates as more fit for a political office compared to 2015

Between Occupation and Politics: Legislative Professionalization in the Swiss Cantons

In this article, we consider the question of how professionalized the cantonal parliamentarians are and which factors are related to this professionalization. By definition, Swiss parliamentarians exert an occupation in parallel to their mandate. We argue that parliamentarians who spend more time for their mandate have more resources to do so and, more importantly, intend to pursue a political career. In doing so, we analyze data gathered from a survey that was conducted among all Swiss cantonal parliaments in 2014. Our multi-level analysis shows that parliamentarians who run for office at the national level spend significantly more time for their parliamentary mandate than their colleagues. This effect decreases with the parliamentarians’ age. This finding could be relevant in order to understand the career paths of Swiss parliamentarians. In addition, the study contributes to the discussion of the future development of the militia system in Switzerland

Quel intérêt les jeunes portent-ils à la politique?

La jeune génération souhaite participer, faire entendre sa voix et exprimer ses opinions. Deux jeunes citoyens sur trois envisagent de participer aux élections fédérales de cet automne. Leurs convictions politiques ne se distinguent pas fondamentalement de celles des générations qui les précèdent. C’est ce qu’il ressort d’une enquête effectuée auprès des jeunes de 17 ans de toutes les régions du pays, sur mandat de la Commission fédérale pour l’enfance et la jeunesse

Ich und meine Schweiz : Befragung von 17-jährigen Jugendlichen in der Schweiz

Mit einer Meinungsumfrage bei 17-Jährigen aller drei Sprachregionen der Schweiz sollen deren Einstellung und Anliegen zu einem möglichst breiten Themenspektrum erfasst werden. Neben der politischen Partizipation gehören dazu Themen wie der Stellenwert von Ausbildung und Arbeit, Identität, Migration, Chancengleichheit und Mobilität etc.L’enquête d’opinion vise tout d’abord à saisir la perspective et les attentes des jeunes de 17 ans des trois régions linguistiques de la Suisse sur un large éventail de sujets. Outre le thème de la participation politique, l’enquête portera sur l’importance de la formation et du travail, sur l’identité, la migration et l’égalité des chances ou encore la mobilité