This contribution raises the issue of women’s descriptive and substantive representation in Switzerland over the last 40 years. It shows that although Switzerland is among the oldest and most elaborate democracies (early male suffrage, direct democracy, federalism) in the world, it is among the youngest democracies when it comes to gender equality. The paper discusses the process of progressive entry of women in institutional politics from the late adoption of female suffrage in 1971 through a comparatively rapid “catching up” in the 1990s to their today’s more consolidated place in the parliament and the government. It also shows the processes that have led to the adoption of a range of gender equality policies in the 1980s and 90s. The paper emphasises in particular the role of political parties, namely of the Social Democratic Party, in the promotion of female politicians and of gender equality policies.
