Women-men income gap: falls to 14%
The income gap declines from 55% to 14% between generations.
Context
TL;DR
- The income gap falls from 55% to 14% across generations.
- In 2025, tertiary qualification: 54% of women versus 48% of men.
- The difference in hours worked falls from 17 to less than four.
- Among parents, the income gap remains at 51%.
Key facts
- Study → published in the journal «Social Change in Switzerland»
- Authors → Daniel Oesch and Oliver Lipps
- Sample → over 215'000 people aged 25 to 34
- Data → Swiss labour force surveys from 1991 to 2024
- Generation analyzed → people born in 1995
- Overall gap → 14%
- Education in 2025 → 54% of young women and 48% of young men with tertiary qualifications
- Gap between parents → 51%
The central finding comes from Lausanne
Among people born in 1995 in Switzerland, the gap in earned income between women and men remains 14%. This is shown by a study by the University of Lausanne and the competence centre for social sciences Fors, published on Tuesday in the journal «Social Change in Switzerland».
The clearest comparison is between people born in 1965 and those born in 1995. For the first generation, women earned 55% less than men overall. Among those born in 1995, the difference had narrowed to 14%. The researchers describe this development as a «race to catch up».
The change also concerns hours worked and hourly wages. The difference in weekly working hours fell from 17 hours to less than four. The gap between standardized hourly wages narrowed from almost 20% to less than 5%.
The growth in women's education is cited as one of the factors that contributed to this development. In 2025, 54% of young women in Switzerland had obtained a tertiary qualification, compared with 48% of young men. In addition, more women enter professions with better salary prospects.
The improvement is also evident in comparison with France, Sweden, Great Britain and the United States. Switzerland went from having the second-highest income gap among people born in 1965 to the smallest for the 1995 generation. To explore the relationship between income and personal circumstances in greater depth, the study can be read alongside a calcolatore stipendio.
Operational details
How to read the gap
Three measures to keep separate
For people who live and work in Switzerland, the first practical way to read the data is not to mix different indicators. The study presents the overall income-from-work gap, but also measures the difference in weekly working hours and in standardized hourly wages. These are three related aspects in describing the phenomenon, but they do not represent the same thing.
The shift from a 17-hour difference to less than four shows that weekly working hours carry less weight than in previous generations. The decline in the hourly wage gap, from almost 20% to less than 5%, instead indicates a change in wage conditions. The overall reduction in income from work, from 55% to 14%, must therefore be read together with the other two figures, without using a single indicator to describe the whole situation.
Education offers a second way of reading the data. In 2025, young women with a tertiary education qualification accounted for 54%, compared with 48% of young men. The source links the rising level of women's education to the observed trend and also points to access to professions with greater salary prospects. This does not, however, coincide with the disappearance of differences, especially when family life comes into play.
The point that changes with children
The comparison between people without children and parents radically changes the picture. For people without children, the gender gap fell from 27% in the 1965 generation to 7% in the 1995 generation. Among parents, however, the difference remains at 51%. This figure makes it risky to apply the average improvement to all individual situations.
The international comparison should also be used as a reference, not as a substitute for personal analysis. France, Sweden, Great Britain and the United States provide the benchmark chosen by the researchers: Switzerland has moved from a very unfavorable position to having the smallest gap. Anyone considering a career change can consult annunci di lavoro, keeping education, working hours, hourly wages and family situation separate.
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Key points
A practical framework for using the data
Four reading steps
1. Start with the right indicator. Before comparing two situations, determine whether you are looking at total labor income, weekly hours, or standardized hourly wage. The study uses all these measures and shows that they can move together without being identical.
2. Consider the generation. The results mainly compare people born in 1965 and 1995, while the sample concerns people between 25 and 34 years old. The percentages therefore describe generational groups analyzed by the researchers, not an automatic result for every individual female worker or every individual male worker.
3. Include family status as a separate item. The shift from 27% to 7% for people without children and the figure of 51% among parents show that parenthood changes the comparison. It is not enough to stop at the average of 14% referring to the 1995 generation.
4. Read education together with occupation. The 54% of young women with tertiary qualifications, compared with 48% of young men, signals an educational change. The source adds that more women enter occupations with greater salary prospects, but specifies that education and salary gains are not enough to close inequalities linked to family life.
After these steps, the most accurate comparison keeps the data on hours, hourly wage, total income and the presence of children side by side. The international reference also remains readable only by indicating the group of countries chosen by the study: France, Sweden, Great Britain and the United States.
This framework makes it possible to use the figures without turning them into an individual promise. The improvement between generations is documented, but the gap remains particularly pronounced among parents. To compare your own salary, use calcolatore stipendio.
Source: tio.ch
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the income gap between women and men for the 1995 generation?
- The overall employment income gap is 14%, according to the study published in «Social Change in Switzerland» by authors Daniel Oesch and Oliver Lipps, based on more than 215'000 people between the ages of 25 and 34.
- How has the income gap changed between the 1965 and 1995 generations?
- For those born in 1965, women earned 55% less than men; for those born in 1995, the difference fell to 14%, while the gap in hourly wages went from almost 20% to less than 5% and the difference in weekly working hours from 17 hours to fewer than four.
- What is the impact of parenthood on the income gap?
- Among people without children, the gender gap fell from 27% for the 1965 generation to 7% for the 1995 generation; among parents, however, the difference remains at 51%, showing that parenthood maintains a high income gap.