Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter
Keywords
Women in Swiss politics, Switzerland, women's suffrage, Swiss women, Swiss voting
Abstract
You all know that Switzerland is that strange, little country in the centre of Europe. It is the place, where cheese has tremendous holes; where the snow-white Alps compete with dark brown mountains of chocolate; where every aborigine keeps his alphorn under the bed and every morning gets up - yodelling - and then, punctually, after a critical glance at his watches (and swatches that cover his left arm up to the elbow and beyond) hurries to his place of work - (you guessed it) - the bank, of course. Above all else it is the country that pretends being the world's oldest democracy, but doesn't seem to be ashamed to treat its women as slaves without any rights whatsoever. I cannot get around to ask you to make your adieus to that image so dear to all and sundry, at least as far as Swiss women are concerned. For, that image would definitely be a piece of gross disinformation. The truth is something quite different. The oldest democracy in the world happens to have acquired the youngest, that is, the most recent right of women's vote (women's suffrage).
Recommended Citation
Grendelmeier, Verena
(1987)
"Women in Swiss Politics,"
Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter: Vol. 23:
Iss.
1, Article 7.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/sahs_newsletter/vol23/iss1/7