In Geneva there will soon be a women’s discount in municipal facilities
Price reductions for women: in the city of Geneva, women will soon be paying twenty percent less than their male fellow citizens in municipal facilities, such as the swimming pool or the theatre. The Geneva city parliament adopted a corresponding motion on Thursday night after heated debates.
The left-green majority of municipal councilors will thus point to the wage gap between the sexes that still exists. With even more discrimination? The demand divides minds.
“The idea came from the women’s strike”
Brigitte Studer (74) is one of the great minds behind the advance. She is a member of the Geneva City Parliament for the left-wing Ensemble à Gauche party. Opposite to «SRF News» she says: “The idea came from the women’s strike in 2019. This is how we make wage inequality visible.” This is a purely symbolic measure. The motion gives the city government the necessary leeway for implementation.
State and constitutional lawyer Bernhard Waldmann (53) vehemently disagrees. He says: “Such a regulation is clearly unconstitutional.” The city of Geneva should also follow the basic rights of the Federal Constitution. Differentiations according to gender should only be made if there are good reasons.
Municipal councilor Studer counters that equal pay, which is also in the constitution, has also not been applied for centuries.
“Millionaire can now go to the opera at a reduced price”
In addition to questions about the constitutionality, politicians also raise questions about the usefulness of the motion. The Geneva SP National Councilor Laurence Fehmann Rielle (66) says «Switzerland at the weekend»: «What about the women who live in precariat and do not have enough money for groceries at the end of the month?» The Geneva FDP councilor Michèle Roulet doubled down that the millionaire can now go to the opera at a reduced price, while the student continues to pay the full price.
In a next step, the Geneva government must now submit a proposal to Parliament for the implementation of the motion. How this is to be done in accordance with the Federal Constitution is not yet clear. (ste)