GENEVA — Women across Switzerland are walking off the job, burning bras and staging other demonstrations to demand fairer pay, more equality, and an end to sexual harassment and violence — the first such protests in the Alpine country in 28 years. Discontent over sexism and workplace inequality is underpinning the “women’s strike.” Many are also demanding higher pay specifically for domestic workers, teachers and caregivers, jobs typically held more by women. A few women scaled the cathedral to shout out the hour, a tradition that is rarely carried out by women. The call to protest encouraged those taking part to avoid store purchases or trips to restaurants, to ratchet up the economic impact. Friday’s events allude to protests on June 14, 1991, that drew hundreds of thousands of Swiss women who left their jobs to condemn discrimination, 20 years after Swiss women won the right to vote and a decade after sexual equality became law.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer June 14, 2019 08:26 UTC