More Young Swiss women earn less despite being more educated
Born in 1995: income gap of 14% Born in 1965: income gap of 55% In 2025: tertiary education at 54% versus 48% Among parents
Context
TL;DR
- Born in 1995: income gap of 14%
- Born in 1965: income gap of 55%
- In 2025: tertiary education at 54% versus 48%
- Among parents, the gap remains at 51%
Key facts
- 1995 cohort → income gap: 14%
- 1965 cohort → income gap: 55%
- Weekly hours → from 17 hours to fewer than four
- Standardized hourly pay → from almost 20% to less than 5%
- Young women with tertiary qualifications in 2025 → 54%
- Young men with tertiary qualifications in 2025 → 48%
- Women without children → from 27% to 7%
- Gap between parents → 51%
The 14% remains the gap between the overall labor incomes of women and men born in 1995. The figure shows that young women’s educational advantage has not yet translated into full economic equality.
The study, carried out by the University of Lausanne and the Swiss Foundation for Research in Social Sciences Fors, was published in the journal «Social Change in Switzerland» and is based on the analysis conducted by Daniel Oesch and Oliver Lipps of data from more than 215’000 people between the ages of 25 and 34, drawn from the Swiss labor force surveys conducted from 1991 to 2024.
A reduced gap between generations
In the press release devoted to the research, the authors describe the trend as a «race to catch up». Among people born in 1965, women’s overall labor income was 55% lower than men’s. For those born in 1995, the difference fell to 14%.
The narrowing gap also concerns the labor market and working hours. The difference between the hours worked in a week fell from 17 hours to fewer than four. When standardized hourly pay is considered instead, the gap fell from almost 20% to less than 5%.
The study identifies education as one of the key factors. In 2025, 54% of young women in Switzerland held a tertiary qualification, that is, a university degree, a degree from a university of applied sciences or a higher vocational qualification. Among young men, the share was 48%. Women are also moving into professions with higher earning potential.
The reduction is reflected in comparisons with France, Sweden, Great Britain and the United States. For those born in 1965, Switzerland had the second-largest income gap among these countries; for the 1995 cohort, the smallest. Motherhood remains a dividing line: among women without children, the gap fell from 27% to 7%, while among parents it remained at 51%.
Operational details
What the numbers really show
Three different measures of the same gap
Research does not use a single indicator. Overall labor income captures the economic distance between women and men; weekly hours show how much the two patterns of labor-force participation have converged; standardized hourly pay, on the other hand, makes it possible to observe the gap related to hourly pay.
This distinction changes how the results are read. For the generation born in 1995, the gap in overall income is 14%, while that in standardized hourly pay is less than 5%. The two percentages therefore describe different dimensions and should not be used as though they were the same measure. The shift from 17 hours to fewer than four also signals that the gap in weekly hours has narrowed, without eliminating every difference in total income.
| Indicator | Born in 1965 | Born in 1995 |
|---|---|---|
| Overall labor income | 55% | 14% |
| Difference in weekly hours | 17 hours | fewer than four hours |
| Standardized hourly pay | almost 20% | less than 5% |
For those who live or work in Switzerland, the education data add a second point of comparison. In 2025, 54% of young women had a tertiary qualification, compared with 48% of young men. The greater presence of women in university programs, universities of applied sciences, and higher vocational education coincides with progress toward professions with higher earning potential. The study presents this change as one of the key factors behind the catch-up, not as the automatic elimination of the gap.
Family is the decisive turning point
The difference between women without children and parents makes it impossible to read the result as a single value for all stages of life. Among women without children, the gap fell from 27% to 7%. Among parents, by contrast, it has narrowed but remains at 51%. Motherhood is thus identified as an important dividing line, because after starting a family, the income gap widens considerably.
The international comparison also reinforces the significance of the change: Switzerland moves from having the second-largest gap for the 1965 generation to having the smallest gap for the 1995 cohort, considering France, Sweden, Great Britain, and the United States.
Key points
How to use data for a personal comparison
The study provides a framework by generation, education and family situation. To read it without automatically attributing the result for an entire cohort to a single person, it is helpful to follow a simple sequence.
Five steps to avoid confusing the measures
1. Identify the age comparison. The 14% figure concerns people born in 1995, while the 55% figure concerns those born in 1965. These are two generations observed in the study, not two proportions that can be applied indiscriminately.
2. Separate overall employment income from standardized hourly pay. The first comparison indicates a 14% gap for those born in 1995; the second falls to less than 5%. Using only one of the two measures would change the question being answered.
3. Consider weekly hours alongside them. The difference has fallen from 17 hours to fewer than four. This figure should be kept separate from hourly pay and overall income.
4. Add the level of education. In 2025, a tertiary qualification applied to 54% of young women and 48% of young men. The comparison includes universities, universities of applied sciences and higher vocational education.
5. Consider the family situation. The gap between women without children fell from 27% to 7%, while among parents it remains at 51%. The difference therefore changes when moving from the general comparison to one linked to family.
This step-by-step reading avoids turning 14% into a description that applies to every working woman or confusing the hourly gap with the gap in overall income. It also makes it possible to connect the figures to the trajectory identified by the researchers: a recovery across generations, accompanied by a still-clear gap after starting a family.
To compare your own income with the different figures appearing in the study, use calcolatore stipendio/imposte
Source: tvsvizzera.it
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the income gap between women and men born in 1995?
- The gap between the total labor earnings of women and men born in 1995 stands at 14%. This figure highlights that young women's educational advantage has not yet translated into complete economic equality. The study, conducted by researchers Daniel Oesch and Oliver Lipps of the University of Lausanne and the Swiss Foundation for Research in Social Sciences Fors, nevertheless shows a marked improvement compared with previous generations, such as the 1965 cohort, which recorded a difference of 55%.
- How does education affect the wage gap?
- In 2025, 54% of young women in Switzerland held a tertiary qualification, which includes universities, universities of applied sciences or higher vocational education, compared with 48% of young men. Women are also moving into professions with higher earning potential. Education thus represents one of the key factors in generational catch-up, although complete economic equality has not yet been achieved.
- What impact does motherhood have on the income gap?
- Motherhood represents a fundamental dividing line within the labor market. Among women without children, the income gap compared with men fell from 27% to 7%. By contrast, among parents, the income gap has narrowed but remains stuck at 51%, highlighting how starting a family significantly widens the economic divide.