Switzerland is voting on a range of issues on Sunday, including a proposed ban on factory farming and a divisive pension reform that would raise the retirement age for women.
After failed attempts in 2004 and 2017, Bern hopes to garner enough votes to “stabilize” Switzerland’s pension system, which is under pressure as life expectancy rises and the huge baby-boomer generation reaches retirement age.
The most controversial part of the reform stipulates that women must work until age 65, the same age as the current retirement age for men, before receiving a full pension. They currently exit a year earlier at 64.
Parliament last year approved key measures, including a VAT increase, but left-wing parties and unions denounced the reform “on the back of women” and pushed the issue to a referendum under Switzerland’s direct-democratic system.
– Pension gap between men and women –
While supporters of the reform argue that men and women retire at the same age is not unreasonable, the move has sparked significant opposition, particularly among women.
Opponents argue that women in Switzerland face significant discrimination and a wide gender pay gap, meaning they receive far lower pensions than men.
They argue that it is unfair to raise the retirement age without addressing these issues first.
In 2020, women in Switzerland received on average almost 35 percent fewer pensions than men, according to the Swiss Ministry of Economic Affairs.
But polls show that Swiss voters, who have twice rejected state pension reform, have warmed to the idea even as a gender war brews.
In a current Tamedia survey, 55 percent of those questioned said they would. But while 70 percent of men supported the reform, 58 percent of women opposed it, the results show.
– Ban animal factories? –
Another hotly debated issue on the ballot is a popular motion to ban factory farming, essentially wiping out factory farming in largely rural Switzerland.
The animal rights and animal protection organizations behind the initiative want to make the protection of the dignity of animals such as cattle, chickens or pigs a constitutional requirement.
“We believe that animal husbandry is one of the defining problems of our time,” says the animal welfare organization Sentience, which presented the initiative, on its website.
If passed, the initiative – backed by left-wing parties, Greenpeace and other environmental organizations – would set stricter minimum standards for animal-friendly housing and care, outdoor access and slaughter practices.
The new requirements would also extend to imports of animals and animal products.
The government and parliament reject the initiative and insist that Switzerland already has one of the strictest animal protection laws in the world.
According to current law, farms are not allowed to keep more than 1,500 fattening pigs, 27,000 broilers or 300 calves, which fundamentally rules out massive factory farming in other countries.
– Farmers resisted –
Bern has warned that tightening these rules further would raise prices significantly, while the import clause could hurt relations with trading partners.
Such arguments seem to have won over a growing number of Swiss, with the No camp topping the list in recent polls. Farmers are skeptical and resistance is greater in rural areas than in cities.
The Swiss will also vote on a range of regional issues, including a vote in the canton of Bern that could lower the legal voting age from 18 to 16.
In the referendums that take place every few months in Switzerland, most people vote in advance. On Sunday, ballot boxes open just a few hours before closing at 12:00 p.m. (1000 GMT).
First results are expected in the early afternoon.
