Gender Pension Gap: Women Receive Significantly Lower Pensions

A woman in Switzerland receives on average about a third less pension in old age than a man. This is not a question of lifestyle, profession or personal commitment. It is the mathematical consequence of a provision system built decades ago for an employment biography model that barely exists today.

The gap is called the gender pension gap. And it is concrete, measurable, avoidable.

The Numbers the System Proves

The official FSO statistics (base year 2020) show:

In the pension fund the difference is even more dramatic: BVG pension for men CHF 35,560 per year, for women CHF 18,605 per year — a gap of over 47 percent. Only 49.7 percent of women of retirement age receive a current BVG pension — compared to 70.6 percent of men. Some of the remaining women took their assets as capital. But many were never insured due to part-time work below the BVG entry threshold or long employment breaks.

In the AHV the difference is small. The average monthly pension in 2022 was around CHF 1,883 for women and CHF 1,862 for men. The pension gap therefore does not arise in the first pillar. It arises in the second and third — exactly where your own working life makes the difference.

Where the Gap Arises

The Coordination Deduction

The second pillar works like this: not the entire salary is insured, but the salary after deducting a fixed amount — the coordination deduction. In 2026 this is CHF 26,460.

This fixed deduction affects low wages and part-time wages disproportionately.

With two part-time jobs, the coordination deduction is even applied twice — further reducing the insured salary. This is the part-time trap of the pension fund.

Part-Time Rate and Care Work

The figures from the second quarter of 2024 (FSO) speak clearly:

In terms of total workload (ages 25–64), women work 61.1 hours per week, men 57.8 — but 62 percent of women's working time is unpaid.

This work does not pay into the pension fund. It does not pay into pillar 3a. It only generates a pension component indirectly — via the AHV child-raising credit.

The BVG Reform Was Rejected

The reform of occupational provision, which would have reduced the coordination deduction for part-time workers, was rejected on 22 September 2024 with 67.1 percent No. All cantons, with the exception of 26 out of 2,126 municipalities, voted against it. The systemic disadvantage for part-time women remains.

The Individual Pillars in 2026

AHV: Child-Raising and Care Credits

The BSV credits each parent with custody of a child under 16 a child-raising credit of CHF 44,100 per year in 2026. For married couples, the credit is split equally. The care credit at the same rate applies to caring for close relatives (max. 30 km or 1 hour distance) and must be applied for annually.

Pillar 3a: Women Contribute Less Often

A Credit Suisse study shows: only around 55 percent of employed persons contribute regularly to pillar 3. Among mothers with low incomes, the rate drops to 35 percent. Among divorced single women, it is 48 percent.

Divorce and Provision

Divorce often hits women harder financially — especially in terms of provision.

• AHV splitting (automatic): Income earned during marriage is divided equally between partners. Women do not need to take action here.
• BVG division (Art. 122/123 CC): Retirement savings accumulated in the pension fund during marriage are divided equally. Cut-off date: initiation of divorce proceedings.
• Waiver possible (Art. 124b CC): On application, subject to "adequate" own provision. Risky for women with a provision gap.

The Widow and Widower Pension: Reform Underway

The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2022 in the "Beeler" case that the Swiss regulation discriminates against widowers. The Federal Council's reform proposal provides for:

• Benefits until the youngest child turns 25, regardless of the parents' marital status.
• Childless widows and widowers under 55 lose their pension entitlement (with a two-year transition period).

The criticism from the Swiss Trade Union Federation: the reform leads to benefit cuts that mainly affect women. As of 2026, the draft is still being discussed.

Life Stages That Become Traps

Maternity leave (14 weeks, 80 percent salary, max. CHF 220/day): During this time, pension fund contributions continue — on a 100 percent salary basis. No gap arises here.

Part-time after children: The aforementioned 50 percent trap. Over 20 or 30 years, this adds up to six-figure provision gaps.

Divorce at 45: On average, this leads to a pension gap of 37 percent. Those who have not built up their own provision start almost from zero after 40.

Marriage without a contract: Participation in acquisitions applies automatically. This divides assets created during marriage — but it does not protect against provision gaps from care years.

What You Can Do Concretely

1. Start pillar 3a as early as possible — and consistently. Anyone who pays in CHF 7,258 annually from age 25 and achieves 5 percent return will have around CHF 877,000 at 65. Those who start at 35: around CHF 460,000. The first 10 years matter for a lifetime.
2. After each employment break: check pension fund buy-in. Pension fund buy-ins are fully deductible from taxable income. With a CHF 30,000 buy-in and 30 percent marginal tax rate: immediate tax saving of CHF 9,000 — and the gap is filled.
3. Pay attention to pension fund choice with part-time work. Some pension funds have abolished the coordination deduction or made it proportional. When starting a new part-time job: compare pension fund regulations.
4. Marriage contract and advance care directive. Both documents cost little to prepare — and provide massive protection. Not mistrust, but clarity.
5. Structure financial conversations as a couple. Sit down together at least once a year: budget, care splitting, provision contributions, long-term goals.

Political Initiatives 2026

• Individual taxation: Approved on 8 March 2026 with 54.23 percent. Implementation earliest 2029.
• UKibeG (passed Dec. 2025): First permanent federal contribution (CHF 200 million) for childcare.
• Childcare initiative: In the National Council in spring 2026. Demanding: legal right to a childcare place, parent contributions max. 10 percent of income.
• Survivor pension reform: Ongoing Federal Council bill following the ECtHR ruling.

Conclusion

The gender pension gap is not an abstract problem. It is the mathematical consequence of concrete mechanisms: coordination deduction, part-time rate, care work, missing 3a contributions, divorce gaps. Each of these mechanisms can be addressed individually — best early, best systematically.

Switzerland has one of the most differentiated provision systems in the world. But the system rewards a continuous full-time employment biography. Those who deviate from it for whatever reason — and most women do — must actively compensate. No one does this automatically for you.

There is no political reform on the horizon that will close the gap in the short term. But there are clear, individual levers that work. Those who know and use them will close over 30 or 40 years exactly what the system does not provide.