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For further information please contact:

             THANH-HUYEN BALLMER-CAO, INSTITUTE FOR SOCIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY 
             OF ZURICH, RAEMISTRASSE 69, 8001 ZURICH, SWITZERLAND

             PHONE: ++41 +1 257 21 67
             EMAIL: K431714@CZHRZU1A.BITNET
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        Short versions of Swiss research projects in the area of WS
                 supported by the National Research Fund

                     ---============<>============---

Preface

Since 1981, the Swiss Constitution has forbidden any discrimination
based on gender and commissioned the legislator with insuring equality
between men and women. Since then much has been done to eliminate
inequalities between men and women. Most of the juridical inequalities
have been abolished, but also the situation of women in Swiss society
has changed. A few examples of this evolution are the improved level of
education attained by women, a rapid increase in the rate of their
professional employment and a decrease in their under-representation
within decision-making agencies.

Despite these improvements, inequalities between the sexes still exist, in
particular with regard to women's access to professional training,
salaries, career opportunities and the repartition of domestic work.
Thus, legislation alone cannot implement factual equality.
Complementary measures must be taken at different levels and in
numerous spheres.

Given this situation, the Federal Council has commissioned the Swiss
National Fund to develop a national research programme (NRP 35) titled
"Women, Law and Society: the Paths to Equality". The realization plan
was approved on 27 February, 1992. Call for contributions to the
programme lasted from March to June 1992.

This is the first information bulletin published by the NRP 35. We would
like to thank the programme's Directrice for preparing it. Its main aim is
to briefly present the projects that were accepted. Simultaneously, it
should promote an interdisciplinary dialogue between the researchers
and an interested public.

Professor Ingeborg Schwenzer, LL.M.
President of the expert group



A National Research Programme for Equality between Women and Men

Nowadays sexual equality policies must be grounded on a sound
scientific knowledge, gained through interdisciplinary studies. In order
to define a decision basis that would be useful in selecting adequate
strategies for the promotion of equality, one would need not only to
acquire more knowledge in various fields, but also to relate between
themselves different social sub-systems.
The National Research Programme 35 is at the centre of this field of
investigation. Beyond identifying the factors hindering the
implementation of equality, it also aims at evaluating existing measures
and at defining new modes of action.
With respect to these objectives, the NRP 35 has selected three research
axes:
- Firstly, it is important to know about the origin and the evolution of
conceptions of equality, be it at the level of rights or at the level of facts.
This research approach should thus make it possible to explicate the
various models of equality, their conditions and their consequences.
- Secondly, we must know why and in which domains the
implementation of equality policies is not successful. In other words, we
must define clearly the obstacles found on the way to concrete equality.
- Finally, the concrete measures taken to promote equality between the
sexes must be evaluated. A definition of possible actions must take into
account both the complementarity between measures and the conditions
of their implementation.
In order to make it easier for interested researchers to participate in the
Programme, we have published a bibliography covering the main areas
of research with which the NRP 35 is concerned. As our budget is
limited to 6 million Swiss francs, we had to be very strict when selecting
projects from those submitted. We have taken into account the scientific
quality and the originality of the projects, and also their practical utility
and the degree to which they could be integrated within the programme
as a whole. Twenty-three projects have been selected, which we have
the pleasure of presenting in this first information bulletin. They have
been tentatively arranged in alphabetical order (according to the main
author's name) because of the overlapping of the research axes and
disciplines. Any other classification would be unsatisfactory.

Thanh-Huyen Ballmer-Cao
Director of NRP 35



Collective Employment Contracts Protect Employees. And Women?
Definition of a Concept for Equality in Contract Policy
Beat Baumann, Tobias Bauer and Stefan Spycher

Equal status for women and men on the labour market can be promoted
by legislative and governmental instruments on the one hand, by
voluntary measures taken individually by enterprises on the other. In
between these two poles, collective employment contracts may serve as
an instrument for equal opportunity employment policies. Such
contracts are of considerable importance, directly affecting the life and
working conditions of 1.4 million employees and indirectly influencing
that of far more workers. Improvements with respect to collective
employment contracts can therefore be of direct advantage to many
female employees.
The project aims to acquire insights into the role of collective
employment contracts with regard to equality between women and
men. It will thus analyze how the distribution and form of collective
employment contracts are connected to the number of women in the
corresponding branches and unions. The contents of the 70 largest
collective employment contracts (concerning around 90% of all
employees under contract) will be examined to see whether they have a
discriminating effect for women or to what extent they contribute to
equality.
The following domains are specifically concerned:
equal payment
wage compensation in case of pregnancy and maternity
protection against unlawful dismissal in case of pregnancy and
motherhood
inclusion of part-time workers into the contract
compatibility of family and work
promotion of women
Following the analysis, a concept ensuring equal opportunities in
collective employment contracts will be elaborated, including models for
organizing the areas mentioned above.



The Setting of Gender Roles in the Disability Insurance
Katerina Baumann and Margareta Lauterburg

This research project will investigate the degree to which decrees and
directives respect the principle at the basis of the disability insurance
law, i.e., how far they attribute equal value to professional work on the
one hand and to caring and educational work on the other. Further, it
will analyse the degree to which the evolution of legal and
administrative decrees - aiming to adapt subsidiary laws to the
principle of legal equality - in practice leads to a better status for
women in terms of benefits.
Apparently, obsolete value judgements - about what best suits women
and men - prevent legal changes from actually reflecting in concrete
reality. It is thus necessary to examine how far such value judgements
and mental attitudes have an impact on the granting and/or the refusal
of benefits to women.
In methodological terms, the research object will be approached by
means of an evaluation of laws, decrees and directives, as well as of the
jurisprudence. Available statistics will be analyzed in the light of the
research questions. Investigations in rural and urban Cantons of the
German- and of the French-speaking parts of Switzerland will serve to
collect data from the agencies responsible for the first instance
The results will show what measures are most effective with regard to
improving women's status within the disability insurance. Beyond that,
they will prove useful when, at a future point, the postulate of equality
in other sectors of social  insurances needs adjusting.



Equality conceptions and the regulation of divorce in consequent
legislation and in legal practice
Monika Binkert and Kurt Wyss

The research will study the question of whether and how, in German
Switzerland, first instance courts take into account equality between the
sexes when applying the laws concerning the consequences of divorce. It
will also analyze the conceptions of equality defining the courts' practice
and their concrete influence on the rulings.
In order to answer these questions, we shall analyze about 450 rolls
issued by 6 courts (quantitative segment of the project); around 30
judges and lawyers of both sexes will also be interviewed (qualitative
approach).
The results obtained will then be compared to the norms (legal
grounds), in order to answer the question of whether actual
implementation actually corresponds to the laws. Where this is not the
case, measures will be proposed that should aim at correcting the
situation. Apart from providing other impulses, our research should
support an optimum implementation of equality, in accordance to the
task that the legislator has been entrusted with, within the ongoing
revision of divorce laws.



The thinking of difference: A philosophical-historical investigation of the
idea of equality
Annemarie Pieper and Ariane Brgin

Any conception of equality is concerned with ideas about what is
different or unequal. Dealing with what is different has always been a
delicate matter in the theoretical and practical concern with gender
equality. For it has been shown that subordination and stigmatization
are further promoted both by acknowledging or by denying the
existence of differences.
In view of this predicament, the research project will analyze the
perception of equality and difference that underlies today's gender
politics, focusing more specifically on its philosophical and historical
premises. The question of epistemological interest is whether difficulties
in realising the postulate of equality arise from its implementation
within the structures of civil society alone, or , more fundamentally
whether they are inherent to the logic of the term itself. This leads to
the question of whether and how far postmodern understanding of the
logic of identity  based on suppression and hierarchy  is part of the
conception of equality and how it affects the cognition  i.e. the
perception and construction  of (gender) difference.
The approach will be both philosophical and historical. The first,
analytically-oriented stage will discuss the argumentational logic of
political concepts, underlying modern theories of civil society and state,
in their historical context (particularly theories dating from the 17th
and 18th century). The normatively-oriented second part of the study
aims at answering the question of whether and in how far the ideational
basis of today's politics of equality has to be conceptualized anew in
order to overcome the aporie between false neutralization and
stigmatization of difference.



Conditions and Limits of Egalitarian Role-Sharing by Parents with Part-
Time Jobs
Margret Brgisser

The major aim of this study is to investigate the situation of consensual
and married couples, in which both partners work part-time in order to
equally share the responsibility for household and child care according
to a self-chosen modus.
Within the framework of a field study, interviews with around 30
couples from Swiss German agglomerations will be carried out, in order
to investigate the type of work-sharing they practice and its social,
economic and legal conditions. On the one hand, the long-term
perspective will be taken into account, i.e. biographical determinants,
socio-cultural background, career, having a family, the motives that
have lead to the choice of the egalitarian model and the process of
negotiation over time. On the other hand, an analysis of the present
situation will further investigate how the couples concerned organize
everyday life at work and at home, what the work-sharing practiced
actually looks like, and what are the advantages and disadvantages
connected to the egalitarian model in its daily practice, as perceived by
the couples involved.
The interviews are based on a semi-structured discussion guide. The
talks will be recorded, minutes will be kept and their contents analyzed.
The results will be interpreted and discussed against the background of
selected micro-theories. The field study will be supplemented by a
discussion of Swiss and  foreign literature on the topic and by a global
introduction and discussion of the problems involved both on an
individual and institutional level. In particular, impediments found on a
broader social scale will be identified, as they hamper the
implementation of role-sharing. As a synthesis of this study, it is
planned to present recommendations for the fostering of egalitarian
family models and for suitable measures serving their realization.



Christian Traditions: Source or Brake for the Equality between Sexes?
Roland J. Campiche

Christian traditions have brought their own contribution to gender
representation and to legitimating the equality/inequality between
women and men. The research project aims at a sociological analysis of
the role played by these traditions during the period characterized by
fundamental changes in the relationship between women and men, i.e.,
during the second half of the 20th century.
To this aim, three complementary approaches will be used:
analysis of the arguments used by different religious institutions with
regard to equality in the family and work spheres. These spheres
particularly well reflect the on-going changes.

analysis of the evolution of the role played by women within religious
institutions. Here, the study will focus on women's access to priesthood
and on the role played by women's organizations.

analysis on the significance of gender with regard to religious attitudes
and behaviours, on the basis of a representative survey of the Swiss
population.

The results of the research should make it possible to better identify the
types of legitimation supported by the various Christian traditions and
their possible influence on the implementation of equality.



Atypical Forms of Work for Women in Switzerland
Christine Dellsperger

In this study, the term "atypical work" is understood as referring to a
gainful employment that does not cover the whole duration of the
normal working week or whose (further) existence is somewhat
uncertain. Atypical forms of work involve much more often women than
men; their number has tended to increase in the last few years. In
Switzerland, a large proportion of women work part-time.
The study starts from the hypothesis that atypical forms of work are a
barrier preventing a lessening of gender specific inequalities on the
labour market.
In a first step, the study will analyze the extent to which atypical forms
of work hinder professional upward mobility and increase gender
segregation. For this purpose, an adequate typology of atypical forms of
labour will be elaborated. The characteristics of this typology will be
analyzed and compared with forms of work corresponding to the "usual
standard". The second part of the study deals with the changes that
have affected Switzerland since the recent economic crisis. Has the
proportion of women practicing atypical forms of work increased, and to
what extent are these jobs insecure?
With respect to the debate on professional promotion for women, the
results of the project will illuminate a rarely investigated and
sometimes neglected aspect.
The study is based on the evaluation of data from the 'Swiss Workers
Survey' (SAKE) and includes other available sources. A cross-section
analysis aims to show the determinants of atypical forms of work. The
effects of the recession will be analyzed by means of a longitudinal
section analysis, based on data from the years 1991 and 1993.



An economical analysis of the causes of the wage gap between men and
women in Switzerland
Yves Flckiger

The purpose of this research is to investigate wage differential between
men and women in Switzerland, using data from the Swiss Labour Force
Survey. Our research is based on a statistical method originally
developed by Oaxaca and very recently extended by Neuman and Silber
in order to take into account divergencies in the occupational
distribution of men and women. Using this new approach, we will be
able to separate the difference between average earnings of men and
women into three different components: a first one reflecting human
capital differences (the "explained" gap), a second one which stems from
differences in the rates of return made on these various human capital
elements (the "unexplained" disparity, which will be assigned to the
existence of discrimination) and a third one indicating the presence of
occupational segregation between gender.
The results of our empirical analysis should be very useful in
highlighting the measures that should be adopted to reduce the wage
gap between men and women in Switzerland.



Violence Against Women in the Family
Lucienne Gillioz and Christa Kppel

The subject of the study is the physical and verbal violence suffered by
women in their families.
Starting from a theoretical framework that perceives as the origin of the
problem the social context of gender, and more specifically, its actual
form within the family, the analysis focuses on five major aims. These
are:
1.To sketch an overview of violence in Swiss families, its extent, its
shape and its gravity.

2.To make visible, from the perspective of the women concerned,
violence and its effects on women and children in the families that are
directly involved.

3.To grasp the phenomenon of violence within the family and its
underlying mechanisms, by comparing violent families and families that
are scarcely or not at all violent.

4.To show the strategies developed by the women subjected to violence
in order to cope with this problem.

5.To get to know the way the general population perceives domestic
violence against women.
The study relies on  two major perspectives:

- A quantitative survey based on a representative sample of Swiss
women living with a partner (n=1000) (telephone interviews using a
structure questionnaire).
- A qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with around thirty
women who have experienced domestic violence.

This study has important implications, both for the fostering of
knowledge and for the implementation of a social policy aimed at
helping victims and at preventing domestic violence.



Monetary valuation of housework
Luisella Goldschmidt-Clermont, Elisabetta Pagnossin Aligisakis,
Chokoufeh Samii Etermad

The purpose of this research projet is to test how far a new method can
be used to value housework, using a limited selection of around fifty
voluntary households in Geneva. The new method should be compatible
with that used for national bookkeeping.
Our aim is purely methodological. The results obtained will serve as an
illustration, but they will not be representative. Our method takes as its
departure point the quantitative aspect of marketable goods and
services produced by the households. It attributes a monetary value to
them, considered to be of equal value by the households. The attributed
gross value, computed on the basis of categories of activity, will be used
to calculate the present consumption expenses and the amortization of
the household's capital, indicating the attributed net value of their
production. This value will then be correlated with the working time
used for production. From this, an effective hourly salary for non-
remunerated work will be calculated.
The research should make it possible to bridge important gaps in the
statistics concerning work, production and consumption. In that sense it
could have an influence on social policies and on family laws.



Men and Women in the Enterprise: Work Places, Working Hours and
Professional Networks
Viviane Gonik, Jean-Dominique von Allmen, Benot Bastard

This study intends to describe the main components in the working
world of men and women. It will endeavour to point out the formal and
informal mechanisms serving to maintain inequalities between the sexes
at the level of the company, considered as a working unit. On the one
hand, these mechanisms can be attributed to the structural
characteristics of companies or to the organizational limits set by their
activities. On the other hand, they may be due to the interests,
individual preferences and professional strategies of their employees.
For women especially, the employment question is always connected
with their role in the domestic and family sphere. Choices between these
two spheres determine the specific logic of their integration in
professional life, and without doubt this also contributes to the
preservation of inequalities.
The research is based on the analysis of three companies. It investigates
the situation of men and women according to three complementary
perspectives: working hours and working time, specific activity and
assignment of working places, and social networks and professional
sociability.
Several methods will be used: interviews with the management,
questionnaires addressed to the personnel (N=approx. 200), semi-
structured interviews with part of the staff  (N=approx. 80), ergonomic
analysis of the activity, and evaluation of written sources.
Theoretically, this study will allow in-depth identification of the
mechanisms leading to inequalities between women and men with
regard to the distribution of work, the assessment of professional
abilities and promotion.
On a more practical level, it will provide data that will be useful for
defining strategies for change within employment, and for gender
relations within the working place. Such findings should also be helpful
in preparing a federal law on equal pay for work of same value.



Coeducation and equality. The deep structure of gender dynamics in
mixed and non-mixed classes
Elisabeth Grnewald-Huber and Urs Fuhrer

The project is based on the hypothesis that genuine role changes may
take place within mixed classes only after the deep and subtle
structures of interaction between the sexes are made transparent. This
is an aspect that has been rarely studied.
There will be two phases of research, involving 18 year old students of
both sexes living in Bern. The sample includes a college and a
professional school; in each of these, three classes will be selected: a
mixed one, one with only female students and one with only male
students.
In a first phase, written data will be collected using a set of 8-10
vignettes showing varying motives for action. These motives will be
classified according to a catalogue that is still in preparation.
A second phase will follow the analysis of individual, imaginary motives;
in this phase, the manner in which patterns are actually applied during
lessons will be analyzed. The data will consist in video recordings of
lessons given in each class. The evaluation will be made following the
catalogue prepared in phase one; it should show the different factual
interaction styles.
Finally, the results from the two phases of research will be compared,
taking into account sex, the potential efficiency of coeducation, and
differences in interaction between the sexes according to social class.
The project should show in a more  complete and differentiated manner
how the sexes interact at school. In that sense, it could contribute to
elaborating a type of coeducation in which boys and girls have equal
opportunities for development; it should also help find less destructive
and more much cooperative interaction styles.



Services in the field of traffic
Verena Hberli

Amongst the free services rendered within families and neighbourhoods
- thus essentially by women - contributions in the field of traffic are
part of the activities carried out outside the home. The methods used to
study traffic take these services into account and consider them an
independent activity, at the same rate as, for instance, 'work'. Yet they
play only a marginal role in traffic censuses and studies, and other
disciplines, such as sociology and human geography, rarely mention
them.
Our research project will focus on services rendered in the field of
traffic. Taking traffic as a departure point, it will draw from both the
study of traffic and social sciences. The following objectives have been
defined:
1) the services will be described in detail within their spatial, temporal
and social context; to this aim, an empirical study will include roughly
600 people living within two areas of the Zurich agglomeration
2) the results, expressed in terms of actual behaviour with respect to
traffic, will be compared to the available statistics
3) the project should show that services rendered within the field of
traffic actually represent unpaid work.
The research is valuable in as far as it shows a contribution brought
essentially by women. Simultaneously, we aim at creating a bridge
between two fields, that of traffic research and the domain of the social
sciences that is interested in space.



The Historical Origins of Juridical, Economic and Social Inequalities
between Women and Men in Switzerland
Anne-Lise Head, Liliane Mottu

The problems obstructing the implementation of equal opportunities
policies originate far back in time. Thus, a historical study of the position
of women in society may contribute to a clarification.
Our project consists of an analysis of the differential status of men and
women and, among other things, of the discrimination suffered by
women between the sixteenth century and the beginning of the
twentieth century in the areas of civil and penal law, inheritance laws,
in the practice of civil rights, or even with regard to professional
integration and mentalities.
The research will cover French and German Swiss cantons, Protestants
and Catholics, urban and rural.  Depending on the period and the
possibilities offered by the various cantonal and municipal archives, the
sources used will be manuscripts or printed matter.
With a view to extending the (normally too restrictive) criteria used by
historians, who see the lives of women through the deforming mirror of
their masculine identity and experience, our approach will aim to take
into account features resulting from demography and from the economic
and social choices specific to women as a result of their marital status
and typical life cycle.
We hope that the research will contribute to putting into perspective
other analyses of the obstacles still hampering the implementation of
the constitutional article approved in 1981. It should also contribute to
elaborating a history of Swiss society under the Ancien Rgime that will
take into account the situation and the destiny of all its members.



Structural Impediments and Cultural Interpretation Schemes
Causes of gender specific segregation on the labour market
Bettina Heintz and Claudia Honegger

The project is a qualitative study on the determinants and mechanisms
of gender specific segregation on the labour market. By comparing three
case studies, some of the microsocial factors that probably contribute to
the ongoing occupational segregation will be investigated. The focus of
the study is on the formal and informal impediments women and men
face as soon as they work in a profession generally reserved to the
opposite sex; on the various types of discrimination (or possibly
integration) they are confronted with; and lastly on the question of the
preservation of sexual identity in professional life. More specifically, our
three case studies will include three professions differing according to
the kind and degree of gender segregation they are associated with.
These case studies should provide an answer to the question of whether
professions which are generally attributed to one of the sexes show
certain characteristics pointing to the life style of one or the other sex, in
a way that makes them more or less attractive for women or men. A
'sexually neutral' profession will serve as a control case.
The three case studies are mainly based on open interviews and
participatory observation. The majority of the interviews will be with
respondents occupying a middle-range position, having at least three
years of experience, and working at least seventy percent. In order to
answer specific questions, internal documents (employment contracts,
employee regulations) and more general information (e.g., pamphlets
published by professional associations) will be analyzed.
As compared to other European countries, the study of gender
segregation in different professions has been neglected in  Switzerland.
The project tries partly to compensate this gap. At the same time it
provides first empirical grounds for the implementation of well defined
political programmes aimed at decreasing occupational gender
segregation.



Coeducation and physics-teaching
Walter Herzog and Peter Labudde

Although the Swiss educational system has become formally more open,
barriers still exist that make it more difficult for women to participate.
The situation is particularly difficult with respect to the teaching of
natural sciences. In physics especially boys and girls clearly are not
interested to the same degree; these differences increase as they
become older.
Our research project will ask how physics lessons may be improved in
order that girls may participate more. We shall use new didactical
concepts for the teaching of physics; we shall also take into account the
demands formulated by researchers in the fields of women's rights and
of gender relations, according to which the teaching should be "adapted
to the girls". Two teaching units to be used in physics lessons at
secondary levels I and II will  be prepared, focussing on selected
themes. They will then be applied in teaching children within two
different contexts, i.e., at secondary level I (7th grade) and at secondary
level II (10th grade); the units will thus be tried out on two x two
experimental groups, each group containing four grade forms. Forms in
which traditional methods and didactics are applied will serve as control
groups.
The results could be put into practice within teacher training and post-
graduate courses, but also within the work team "Specialized didactics
for physics" and with the expert group accompanying the project. The
project's contribution will be found in the elaboration, provision and
empirical testing of a didactic programme that should help girls better
participate to physics lessons at secondary levels I and II. Let us add
that physics has been made the object of the research only as an
example of natural sciences.



Voluntary Work in the Social Sector - "Career Patterns" of Women and
Men
Beatrice Hess/Eva Nadai

The project analyses voluntary work in the social sector as a field of
activity caught between self-realization and functionalization by the
welfare state. In particular, we ask whether and under what
circumstances  voluntary work can be an acceptable social exchange, i.e.,
which profit volunteers may derive from their unpaid services for
society and whether this profit is "gendered". We shall distinguish
between two forms of voluntary work: "basic work"
(care/administration, commissioned and under supervision), and
"honorary  position" (with decision-making, management and
representative functions, to which a person is elected or nominated).
Both forms of voluntary work are accompanied by various demands,
and it can be expected that the type of activity and the volunteers'
position within the organisation co-determine the profit they derive.
The study combines quantitative and qualitative methods. It is divided
into three parts:
- semi-structured interviews with experts from 4 voluntary
organizations
- in-depth interviews with about 20 female and male volunteers from
these organizations, as well as with people holding honorary positions
within administrative bodies
- a written survey of around 1000 volunteers from the same
organizations. Geographically, the research is limited to Canton Zurich.
The study shows a "forgotten" field of activity, that is, the unpaid work
in the social sector that is mostly done by women. The results will show
the transition to precarious forms of work and serve to establish criteria
for evaluating the employment of volunteers. The project contributes to
the debate on the repartition of socially necessary work, and on the
specific organization of "social time" for both sexes.



Is There an Identity Crisis of the Sexes?
Psychological Indicators for the Development of Equal Opportunities in
the Family and at Work
Lisbeth Hurni

Concepts for equal opportunities and equal status will be elaborated
from the perspective of their psychological importance in relation to
career. The following aspects will be examined by the project: career
orientation, family models, professional interests and problem-solving
styles at work.
Psychological indicators - collected through the use of standardized
psychological measuring instruments - should provide information on
the question of equal status for men and women in the family and at
work.  Existing instruments used to record career situations will be
critically analysed and suggestions for development will be made. In
preparing the written survey, it is planned to refer to a questionnaire
created within a previous project on decision-making behaviour at work
and on ideals regarding family and work.
The sample will consist of young adults from higher technical schools
and universities.  It is planned to use contrasting groups from different
disciplines. Some aspects of the written survey will subsequently be
examined in depth by interviewing a selected portion of the sample.
The project will provide data on equal status for young adults at work.
It will show where further measures are required to promote equal
opportunities in the family and in the working life: At the centre of the
survey, it will place questions relevant to career planning and
organization during the important first phase of a career in adult life.
Particular emphasis will be put on the differences between women and
men as regards equal opportunities. The question in the project title "Is
there an identity crisis of the sexes?" will be answered on the basis of
the survey results.



Measures Promoting Equal Status and Support for Women in Leadership
Positions. An Empirical Study on Upward Mobility of Women in Business
and Politics.
Brigitte Liebig

The study focuses on the societal, institutional, microsocial and
individual factors determining upward mobility of women to top
leadership positions, taking the political and the economic subsystems as
an example. On the basis of the empirical results, it will elaborate a
practical concept for measures designed to achieve the equality of
women and men in top positions and the promotion of female leaders.
Considering the multiplicity and interdependences of determinants for
upward mobility, male and female careers on top economic and political
positions will be compared on a national and international level. The
research is based on two standardized questionnaires for business and
political elites, each of them translated into French and German. The
sample consists of at least 60 top leaders at the national level, divided
equally between the two sexes and the two categories of business and
politics. Swiss findings will be compared with international data.
The study brings an empirical and theoretical contribution to the
question of equality of the sexes at the level of leading positions within
society. Its political and practical importance lies in the formulation of
measures designed to achieve equal status and promotion of women to
top leadership positions, as well as equality of the sexes in employment
in general.



Solidarity - Neediness - Independence within the Swiss Old Age and
Survivors Pension Scheme (AHV)
Rudolf Braun and Christine Luchsinger

The Old Age and Survivors Pension Scheme (AHV) was created in
Switzerland after the Second World War; more than any other social
insurance it aimed at eliminating neediness. The stress put on solidarity
within an insurance for the people was meant to (modestly) secure old
age for everyone.
Yet, despite its nine revisions the AHV has not managed to eliminate
poverty and neediness. Inequalities between men and women are
particularly apparent. What went wrong?
Our project will retrace the various definitions of solidarity and needs
based on gender and will analyse the arguments used during the
legislative debates. Like every other law, the  AHV is based on
normative representations of the social functions attributed to men and
women, despite the fact that these functions were never completely
fulfilled in everyday life. In spite of these discrepancies, social laws
exert a normative effects inasfar as they simply let down all those who
do not correspond to the norms. Up to now the gender specific norms
included in the AHV-legislation have not been debated; the "greatest
Swiss social work" thus remains a patchwork. What is more, definitions
vary not only according to gender, but also depending on the economic
situation.
The project will use as historical sources documents that should show
the decision process from as early a date as possible, that is, the minutes
of the AHV-Commission and of the peak organisations belonging to it.



Normative Models of Equality and Legitimation of Unequal Treatment
for Women and Men
Patricia Roux, Marianne Modak, Bernard Voutat

The study aims to show how individuals handle the gap between their
perception of an (un)equal representation of the sexes and their own
current behaviour within this sphere.
The analysis will be based on a questionnaire survey. It will start from
three fundamental theoretical perspectives: First, based on studies
regarding the conception of justice in small groups, we intend to
delineate the social images of (in)equality that individuals use in the
different contexts of everyday life. Second, based on theoretical models
of social identities and their functioning, the investigation will be
concerned with how the classification men/women intervenes in the
comparative processes between groups. This part should show the
strategies used by individuals to explain, understand and legitimate the
incongruities that may appear between their view of equality and their
experience with discriminatory practices. Finally, various studies on
relative deprivation lead us to believe that we have to take into
consideration a double dimension (cognitive and affective) of
experiences of sex discrimination; in other words, we have to bear in
mind that dissatisfaction does not necessarily correspond to the degree
of perceived discrimination. The project will bring a better
understanding of how inequalities between men and women are
legitimized, and therefore maintained.
The sample will include 400 men and women, living in an urban
environment; these will be interviewed individually by means of a
standardized questionnaire. In different phases of the research, contacts
with equal rights offices and women's organizations are planned, in
order to integrate their concerns in our study and eventually to put our
findings at their disposal.



Between Protection and Discrimination: the Evolution of Special
Protection Laws Concerning Women in the Swiss Labour Legislation
during the 20th Century
Regina Wecker, Brigitte Studer and Gaby Sutter

The system of special protection laws concerning women (e.g., the law
against night-work), included in the Swiss labour legislation and in the
international convention on the employment of women in industry (ILO
Convention 89), are currently being revised because they formally
violate the constitutional principle of equality between men and women
(art. 4 of the Swiss  Constitution). In the process, the existing special
laws concerning women should be largely abolished. This led us to plan
a historical study of these laws' influence on the situation of women,
both at work and in everyday life. In Switzerland, the protective
regulations were first edicted by the legislation concerning factories, in
the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, they were
reformulated and reinforced with regard to women. Our thesis is that
this has substantially contributed to gender specific segregation and to
the forms taken by "femininity" on the labour market. We shall study
the causes and aims behind the increased protection of women, the
motives of the political actors involved and the effect of these laws on
the situation of women on the labour market and in society.
Our research should go beyond the specific field of the legislation
concerning labour protection and contribute to elaborating models and
approaches for a policy of equality,  independent from any adaptation to
the male norms.
The research will focus on the period 1919 to 1928 and 1955 to 1964.
Its results should be useful to the political debate on the revision of
labour legislation and to other projects concerning equality.