“My husband explained to me that we could put money for the 3rd pillar. And I said to myself “Ah yes, that way you can take your early retirement, we are quiet”. And then we both signed “, says Anita Aparicio, Wednesday in the 7:30 p.m. of the RTS.
For her daughter Natalia, it is out of the question to depend on another person for her financial choices: “In 2023, it would not occur to me to entrust someone else with the management of my money. After being separated several times, I find it easier for everyone to have their own account,” she says.
But not all women are as comfortable as Natalia. “Until 1988, women were dependent on men, who managed money matters. Today, too many women still tell me that after their divorce or a dismissal, they now have to take care of it “, comments Anne-Sophie Tourrette, founder of WomenInvest, a company which aims to support women in their financial independence and which offers workshops allowing them to tame the financial aspect.
A business strategy for banks
Some banks have grasped these issues and have also created programs for women, which include personalized courses and individual strategies. Banking institutions see commercial potential in this customer segment.
“Women hold about half of the world’s wealth in terms of wealth, but only 20% take care of their financial management themselves”, notes Annabelle Guitton, in charge of the Women’s Wealth Romandie program at the bank UBS.
According to the manager, women differ from men in their choice of investments, aiming more at specific objectives, such as equity and sustainable development. The returns on their investments are also on average higher than those of their male counterparts.
The question of finances, an important demand
The national collective of the Feminist Strike, which held its meeting on Saturday, presented a manifesto with ten demands for the June 14 strike, hammered out during the numerous actions organized in French-speaking Switzerland on Wednesday, on the occasion of the international day of rights. women (read box). Among these demands, the overhaul of the AVS via a single pillar system, the strengthening of the law on equality, parental leave of at least one year per person and per child, systematic measures to combat sexist and sexual violence, or the right to free and free abortion.
>> See also the Forum topic which comes back to these claims:
The financial independence of women was also on the agenda of the March 8 mobilization. The Vaud branch of the Swiss Union of Public Services (SSP-Vaud) took advantage of this day to relaunch its “#encolèretantquilfaudra” campaign. Teachers were invited to dress in red to say an end to inequalities in schools and elsewhere. This action will be repeated every Wednesday at least until June 14. It is in primary education, where women make up 90% of the teaching staff, that salaries are lowest. Part-time work also remains more widespread among women, which has a significant impact not only on wages, but also on pensions.
The Unia union, for its part, supported the actions in the companies. “The women are ready for the June 14 strike, because in recent years things have gone backwards in terms of wages, pensions and the distribution of paid and unpaid work,” adds Unia.
A study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that the wage demands of the unions are by far not unfounded. Switzerland has lost six places in one year in an international ranking of professional equality and finds itself in 20th place of the 33 countries evaluated by the OECD.
dg/mg/iar with ATS