No turning back now – the female retirement age in Switzerland is to rise in stages from 64 to 65. The electorate voted for the change two years ago, narrowly endorsing a comprehensive reform of the old-age and survivors’ insurance (OASI) scheme that incorporated the increase. The only snag was that the Federal Council had given an overly gloomy assessment of the financial state of OASI, later admitting it had miscalculated its projections. The Green Party and the women’s wing of the SP consequently went to the Federal Supreme Court (FSC) to demand that the vote be declared null and void. But the FSC dismissed the case on 12 December 2024. It criticised the blunder but concluded that any annulment would undermine the rule of law. (MUL)
Gender-inclusive language is a tricky issue for German speakers. It is fair to say that not everyone is a fan of the gender-neutral “gender star” (as in “Zürcher*innen” to denote a person or persons from Zurich). The slightly more discreet colon (as in “Schweizer:innen”/Swiss) is now quite popular; “Swiss Review” has been using it for the last four years. The capital “I” (as in “AusländerInnen”/foreigner(s)), common for a good while, is on the decline, which is why the city of Zurich discarded it in favour of the gender star in 2022. Campaigners subsequently launched a popular initiative demanding that the city of Zurich be prohibited from using the gender star. But in Switzerland’s first-ever plebiscite on gender-inclusive language, voters emphatically rejected the proposal on 27 November 2024. “Zürcher*innen” is still allowed. (MUL)
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), the world’s largest live music event, is to go ahead in Basel as planned. The ultra-conservative Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland (EDU) initiated a referendum to try to prevent the ESC from taking place, labelling the competition a satanic, immoral and unjustifiably expensive “freak show”. Basel will spend 35 million Swiss francs in taxpayer money on hosting the event. The city canton’s electorate disagreed with the EDU, with a clear majority of voters approving the funding plans on 24 November. See also: www.revue.link/escbasel (MUL)
Our online edition of the magazine offers additional content. For example, read more about why cutting the road speed limit in Switzerland’s built-up areas continues to divide opinion: www.revue.link/speed30 (MUL)
Comments