UBC Motherhood - Maternity and Motherhood in Switzerland

I don't consider my own country (Switzerland) to be very child-friendly, let alone favorable towards working mothers. 

Is it a cultural thing? It must be. 

Look at some of our neighbor countries. Italy is probably the country that idolizes children the most in Europe. Everybody has a picture in mind when they hear "Italian Mama", right? She cooks the best pasta and looks after her kids way beyond 18 years.

In France having kids is quite convenient and lucrative. The more, the merrier. It starts with the birth premium, "la prime à la naissance" which is currently around 941 Euro, that's 986 USD. The monthly child allowance varies depending on your income and the number of kids. There's more though.

Parents who stay at home for a year after the birth of their third child will receive 750 Euros (786 USD) a month from the state. However, they can also opt for the model of a three-year parental leave, during which the state will transfer 512 Euros (537 USD) each month.

They have the freedom to stay at home for one to three years and come back to their old job! The state-run école maternelle offers full-day care and accepts children from the age of three. Things are really taken care of for working parents in France!

I saw and loved this sign at a supermarket in Canada. Never in my life have I seen parking spaces for expectant mothers in Switzerland! We do have "family parking spots" that are bit wider and very convenient to strap your young kids on and off and remove strollers. Oftentimes ignorant customers with no babies on board occupy these spaces.

We also have seats in public transportation that are near the exits to allow people to get in and out quickly. These seat are reserved for pregnant women and handicapped people. These seats are usually occupied by young and healthy passengers who don't even think about giving up their seat for you. The only people that will offer their seat are elderly gentlemen after they have been nudged by their wives.

How are things in Switzerland beyond conservative mindsets? Do we have paid maternity leave?

Before July 1, 2005, the law guaranteed continued payment of wages for only three weeks despite an eight-week ban on work.

Thank God the Swiss citizens voted to finally upgrade these lousy benefits. Today maternity leave lasts 98 days (14 weeks). The maternity allowance amounts to 80 percent of the salary, however there's a cap, meaning female managers have to make considerable cutbacks. 

This fits into the general understanding how a Swiss family works:

As soon as the first kid is born, the Mom stays at home indefinitely. She schedules her own commitments around the kids' school and extracurricular activities. 

If a teacher is sick, your kid will come home at lunch. 

By the way, your kid will always come home for lunch, as per their schedule. School is out at 11:50am, and they don't have to be back until 1:30pm.

So your kid will bring a note that says "We inform you that teacher XY is sick and can't teach today and tomorrow. Please keep your kid home. If that's absolutely out of question, you may send your kid to school, they will be assigned to another class during that time."

So - if you're even at home - you have a choice: 

• Be a good sport and cancel your hair or dental appointment so you can stay home with your child. If you're Super Mom you'll invite some classmates, kids of working mothers, over.
• Be a bitch and a Raven Mother and urge your child to go to class with students they don't know.

If you're not home - because you have a job or other commitments - you may get a call from daycare (or where ever your kid goes for lunch) telling you about the note. Again you have a choice:

• Be a good sport towards school and your kid and tell your boss you have to go home and won't come in tomorrow either, as you're sort of entitled to for up to three days, not my law, but by common practice
• Be a bitch and a Raven Mother and urge your child to go to class with students they don't know.

How understanding are Swiss bosses in situations like these?

In order to answer this question, let me start by telingl you that over 75% of management positions are held by men. If these male supervisors have kids, the chances are very high that their wives do not have a job at all or they have a part-time job with a low workload.

So if these bosses even hire you, the working mother, they expect you to be just as available and flexible as your male counterparts. Cause frankly if you're not up for this, you shouldn't be here at all. Meaning you will think twice before asking for time off just because your kid's teacher is sick. 

Same goes if your own kid is sick of course, only this situation is much worse for you. Daycare will not keep a sick kid, and your sick kid wants you, the Mom, to be there, read stories and cuddle. 

I'll talk more about this undesirable dilemma when it comes to my post about Working Moms and Mom Guilt.

Before you leave, have a look at maternity benefits, compared internationally:

Corporate benefits plans and collective labor agreements may provide for more generous solutions. Switzerland ranks 29th, and the U.S. is obviously on the bottom of the list where federal benefits are concerned.