Topic: 2024-Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Country: Switzerland
Delegate Name: Bridget Lynn
Bridget Lynn
Richwoods High school
The Swiss Confederation
UN Women: Unpaid Care and Domestic Work
Although women are responsible for the most amount of unpaid and domestic work in Switzerland, the delegation has been and wants to continue to work towards making sure that number decreases. The Swiss Confederation is supportive of the work done in the United Nations to help women gain equal rights for everyone no matter their gender. It is ridiculous to ask women to give up their dreams on getting an education or being a part of the workforce and stay home to take care of domestic tasks.
Majority of unpaid domestic work falls on women, because of this, women have a harder time getting a higher-level education due to needing to stay home and take care of the children or elderly people in the household. Not only is getting an education harder, but being able to go out into the work force and earn money is challenging as well.
In Switzerland, the number of women doing unpaid work versus paid work has started to steady. In 1997, women performed 67% of unpaid work, now, they only perform 60%. Although this is great progress, it is still important that number is lessened and women living in the country are encouraged to be a part of the workforce and forms of tertiary education. Whether that be making daycares and nursing homes more affordable and accessible or promoting more forms on online education. Of course, every household and person are different, and it’s important to recognize women who want and enjoy staying home as well as the women who don’t have a choice but to stay home and work on domestic tasks.
Switzerland supports helping women across the country move away from the stereotype that they must stay home and be responsible for all domestic work. Since women make up 50.4% of the population, it is immensely important that they have more options when it comes to getting an education and breaking into the workforce.
