The Swiss have voted narrowly in favor of extending the retirement age for women to 65, a vote marked by deep divisions between reform-minded German-speaking cantons and other cantons in the country.
50.6 percent of voters voted for the reform, according to the final results published today.
At the same time, the initiative, the result of which was supposed to be a ban on intensive livestock breeding, was rejected with 63 percent of the vote.
Today’s vote on the 65-year-old age limit for women is expected to “stabilize” the Swiss pension insurance system, which is under great pressure due to increased life expectancy and the fact that the so-called baby-boom generation is approaching retirement.
The most controversial part of the reform means that women, like men, work until the age of 65 for a full pension, which is a year longer than the current pension system provides.
The Socialist Party assessed that the vote for the later retirement of women “is not only a step back in terms of equality, but a slap in the face for all women” and warned of protests for tomorrow in Bern where they will condemn the result of the referendum.