Parental and paternity leave proposals in Switzerland: Do they promote gender equality?

Leave policies are part of the institutional setting that shapes gender relations and parenthood. In Switzerland fathers do not have access to a federal statutory parental or paternity leave. The article analyses the leave policy proposals submitted from 1995 to 2014 by members of the Parliament and their potential implications for gender equality. Content analysis results show that only few proposals – stemming from left-wing political actors – would create incentives for fathers to use these leaves and would therefore promote gender equality. On the contrary, several proposals would produce further gender inequalities, or create inequalities based on social class or citizenship. The article discusses future challenges for leave policy development in Switzerland from a gender equality perspective.