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SWISS REFERENDUM

First same-sex couples get married in Switzerland

The first same-sex couples tied the knot in Switzerland on Friday following a referendum that changed the landscape for gay rights in the country.

First same-sex couples get married in Switzerland
First same sex-couples married in Switzerland on Juy 1st. Image by Bhakti Kulmala from Pixabay

 Among the first to get married were Aline, 46, and Laure, 45, who have been together for 21 years and converted their civil union into marriage at the plush Palais Eynard in Geneva.

Beneath a sparkling chandelier in a mirrored salon, and with a dozen or so close friends and family in attendance, the couple exchanged touching words recalling their years together and love for each other.

Holding hands throughout the ceremony, they signed the official documents, followed by their witnesses.

“I am now very pleased to announce that you are officially married,” said the Mayor of Geneva, Marie Barbey-Chappuis, who conducted the first ceremony in person.

READ MORE: ‘Deviance and morality’: The history of the same-sex marriage movement in Switzerland

The room burst into applause as the couple exchanged a kiss.

“It was very moving. It’s a big moment and sends a very strong message to society — being free to love and be loved,” Barbey-Chappuis told AFP afterwards.

“The symbolism was particularly strong and the emotion too”.

It was high time that marriage became perfectly equal in Switzerland. “It marks a moment in the history of Switzerland and of the institution of marriage.”

Switzerland is one of the last remaining western European nations to adopt same-sex marriages. The Netherlands was the first to make the change in 2001.

The Swiss government’s plans to introduce “marriage for all” were challenged by opponents, who successfully triggered a referendum on the issue that was held last September. But 64.1 percent of voters backed the introduction of same-sex marriage in he wealthy Alpine nation.

Switzerland decriminalised homosexuality in 1942. Before Friday, same-sex  couples could only register a civil partnership. However, that status does not provide the same rights as marriage, including for obtaining citizenship and the joint adoption of children.

READ MORE: Everything that changes in Switzerland in July 2022

Same-sex couples can now marry in civil ceremonies and enjoy the same rights as other married couples.

Same-sex foreign spouses are now eligible to apply for citizenship through a simplified procedure and same-sex couples are now permitted to adopt jointly.

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SWISS REFERENDUM

‘Historic step’: What to know about Geneva’s plan to extend parental leave

Geneva residents have voted for a 24-week paid leave package for new parents — the first Swiss canton to do so.

‘Historic step’: What to know about Geneva's plan to extend parental leave

Nearly 58 percent of the canton’s voters on Sunday June 18th greenlighted the proposal put forward by the Green Liberal Party to grant new parents a paid leave that is six weeks longer than the current (cumulative) period allowed by the law (read more about this below).

“It is an immense joy, a historic progressive step,” Aurélien Barakat, president of the Geneva Green Liberals, said on social media after the results of the vote emerged. 

However, the new legislation must still be approved by the parliament during its autumn session, so the victory at the polls is still tentative at this point.

What would the new law provide for?

In short, it would give new parents in the canton — including homosexual couples and adoptive parents — more time at home with their baby.

Currently, Geneva mothers get 16 weeks of leave (versus 14 weeks provided for by federal law), while fathers benefit from two weeks — the same period as in other cantons.

Under the new law — should it be accepted by the parliament — new parents will benefit from six more weeks at home with their baby.

This leave can be taken either at the same time by both parents for a total of 24 weeks for the two, or one of the parents can grant two weeks of their own allowance to the other, by mutual agreement. In other words, this scheme allows some flexibility.

These additional weeks are to be financed by a joint contribution from employees and employers.

Not everyone, however, is happy about the vote’s results.

“With the approval of this constitutional provision, the purchasing power of the population will decline due to the increase in joint contributions,” toward the parental leave, the Geneva section of the right wing Swiss People’s Party (UDC) said in a statement

What is the situation elsewhere in the country?

Parental leave allowances in Switzerland are lagging behind many other European nations. 

The reason is that the country has a strong history of individual responsibility, which promotes the idea that the state (or employer) should not pay for people choosing to have children.

Mothers here are entitled to 14 weeks leave and fathers to two.

During the 14-week (or 98-day) leave of absence, mothers in Switzerland are entitled to be paid 80 percent of their salary, up to a maximum of 196 francs a day.

But while the paid maternity leave was established in Switzerland in 2005 — years later than in the EU — fathers had to wait much longer to get that same (though more time- limited) right.

That changed on September 27th, 2020, when 60 percent of Swiss voters decided in favour of a two-weeks paternity leave.

As far as compensation, fathers can receive a maximum of 2,744 Swiss francs during their two weeks of leave with the money to be paid under the state-run compensation scheme. 

READ ALSO: What parental leave are new parents entitled to in Switzerland?

All this shows why Geneva’s move is truly pioneering for Switzerland, although it is still far behind the benefits accorded to new parents in other countries — in France, for instance, new mothers are entitled to receive up to 26 weeks of leave, and in Sweden both parents can benefit from 480 days off.

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