Gender Equality and the Glass Ceiling in the Swiss Labor Market and the IC Sector

However, this fact is not currently reflected in the professional world. Switzerland still ranks among the European countries with a lower number of women holding key economic positions. The percentage of women on the supervisory board is 27%, 7 percentage points higher than the figure for the last survey in 2021. While 37% of the total workforce is made up of women, 27% work in middle management, and 20% in top management. A clear and continuous decline in the proportion of women can be observed from one hierarchical level to the next. At the executive board level, this percentage has again fallen sharply; in the companies surveyed, women account for 15%. Of which 6% of CEOs are women (Shilling Report 2024). 

One contributing factor to this situation is the steady rise in part-time employment in Switzerland over the years, particularly among women. With one-third of its workforce employed part-time, Switzerland ranks just behind the Netherlands as one of the European leaders in part-time work. While part-time roles can help individuals better balance work and family life, they often come with limitations—such as reduced opportunities for career advancement, limited job mobility, and challenges for employers in ensuring full-time operational coverage. 

In some cases, part-time work can even have adverse effects, confining highly skilled individuals to roles with little to no growth potential and risking the erosion of their expertise. For many qualified women who are underutilised in their positions—and for a growing number of men seeking reduced schedules—job and top sharing offers a promising, innovative solution with mutual benefits for both employees and employers. Models such as job sharing and top sharing could help address the ongoing struggle to reconcile personal and professional responsibilities. However, these approaches remain underutilised, especially within the international cooperation (IC) sector, where uptake is even lower than in other areas of the Swiss labor market. 

On the salary level as well the objectives are far from being reached. Despite the increasing number of working women, Switzerland's gender pay gap remains unchanged at 18%. This figure is well above the OECD average of 13.1%, signaling that progress on equal pay has stalled. 

In the IC sector, cinfo undertook an analysis with 16 organisations in 2022. On average, women earn less than men in the surveyed organisations. This wage difference can generally be explained through variables such as training, function, and years of service or work, although a disparity of 1.4% cannot be explained (wage discrimination). Women are more frequently employed in positions with lower responsibilities than men, which also tends to be true for personnel abroad. While gender quotas are sometimes used to increase the proportion of women in management positions, only 7 of the 16 organisations surveyed have established a women’s quota for certain management functions, with a target of between 30% to 50% women in these positions, see cinfo survey on Diversity and Inclusion, 2022. 

As we explore the ongoing challenges related to gender equality and leadership, it’s evident that progress is still needed. In the upcoming article, we will explore specific recommendations to foster inclusivity and drive real change, with a particular focus on the international cooperation sector. The discussion is evolving, and the next steps are crucial. 

• cinfo, 2022, Diversity in the Swiss Labour Market of International Cooperation
• cinfo, 2022, Flexible Work Arrangements in a Changing Environment
• Gudrun Sander, UNISG, 2025, Gleichstellung – Controlling
• Jamie L. Gloor, Gudrun Sander & Alyson Meister, 2025, What to Do About Employees Who Consciously Exclude Women
• Andy Keel, 2019, Gender Diversity: Wo stehen wir,
• Schillingreport, 2025, Transparenz an der Spitze: Die Führungsgremien der Schweizer Wirtschaft und des öffentlichen Sektors
• The Economist, 2025, The Best Places to Be a Working Woman