Women in Leading Positions in Switzerland: A Challenge to Job Equality

An investigation of Fs' opportunities for attaining leadership or management positions in Switzerland, using data drawn from the 1980 Swiss census & a 1986 survey of 821 Geneva residents aged 40-65, among whom 20 were F managers (Gognalons-Nicolet, Maryvonne, "Ages, cycle de vie et periode dite du milieu de la vie" [Age, Life Cycle, and the Midlife Period], Document No. 3972.082, Fonds National Suisse de la Recherche Scientifique, Geneva, 1986). It is found that the attitude toward Fs in Switzerland is essentially conservative. Fs have unequal access to management positions, & for the few who succeed, sexual inequality persists within the management stratum. The highest price paid by Fs for access to prestigious positions is the sacrifice of family life. 9 Tables, 1 Appendix, 22 References. Modified HA