‘In Switzerland family policy is the poor relation of social policy’

Faced with rising living costs, over half of Swiss families are struggling to make ends meet, according to a survey. The head of Switzerland’s main family organisation is calling for swift political action. The second family barometer, published on Thursday by umbrella association Pro Familia Switzerland and Pax, a pension insurance company targeting families, reveals the increasingly precarious situation of families at a time when prices are rising across the board. Philippe Gnaegi, director of Pro Familia Switzerland and former member of the Neuchâtel cantonal government for the centre-right Radical-Liberal Party, discusses the results of the survey of 2,123 families across Switzerland. SWI swissinfo.ch: Your study highlights the ever-increasing financial pressure on families. More than half of them – 52%, compared with 47% last year – consider their income to be insufficient or barely sufficient. Are you surprised by these results? Philippe Gnaegi: I am indeed surprised by the ...