Annabelle publishes the women's study "Annajetzt" for its relaunch
The new Annabelle is about to set out on a new journey. The magazine and website have undergone a relaunch, and a new editorial and event space has opened in Zurich’s Viadukt. To coincide with the relaunch, Annabelle is launching the women’s study «Annajetzt.».
How do Swiss women assess the state of equality 50 years after the introduction of women's suffrage? How satisfied are they with their professional and private situation in 2021? Shortly before International Women's Day and on the occasion of the relaunch of the Annabelle Sotomo surveyed over 6200 women in German-speaking Switzerland. "Annajetzt", the largest women's survey in German-speaking Switzerland, shows in which areas women today see an urgent need for action in politics and society and provides a comprehensive picture of women's moods, from demands for equality and feminist self-image to conflict issues in partnerships or facets of sexuality.
Working life and financial independence: urgent need for action
German-speaking Swiss women see the greatest need for action in terms of equality in the world of work. Only 40 percent consider equality in professional life to have been achieved. In first place is the demand for equal pay for equal work. Here, 85 percent of respondents see an urgent need for action. 72 percent of respondents believe men still have more advantages than women in Switzerland. This is one of the highest values in the Western world.
Even though women definitely perceive progress in the realization of equality in Switzerland, the "Annajetzt" women's survey reveals areas of tension. For example, there is a strong awareness that women should be more economically involved and that financial security in old age in particular is a problem. Older women in particular tell younger women that they should remain employed despite motherhood and take care of their own financial affairs.
Entrenched value patterns & "mental load
However, it is evident that classic value patterns are strongly entrenched in the minds of German-speaking Swiss women. For example, the ideal workload for families is 80 percent for the father and 50 percent for the mother. While this is a far cry from the traditional 100:0 division of roles, it cements the mother's financial dependence. Not even half of the working-age women surveyed could currently finance their own living expenses, and one in five believes that they would not be able to separate because of this.
The unequal distribution of paid work means that a large proportion of the tasks at home are left to women. More than 80 percent of all women state that they do significantly more than their partner when it comes to organizing the household and private life. It is noteworthy that even full-time working women suffer greatly from the so-called "mental load". This indicates that classic value patterns persist among many men as well. The "Annajetzt" women's survey shows that, in addition to political measures, breaking down classic value patterns is also likely to play an important role in eliminating existing gender inequalities.
Satisfaction, partnership and sexuality
Women's satisfaction with their living situation depends strongly on their family and household situation. Women in family households are mostly satisfied with their family situation, but significantly less satisfied with their job and leisure time. Women in couple households without children, on the other hand, are the most satisfied overall. The Corona pandemic has strengthened family and relationships and has had a particularly negative impact on women who live alone.
If we look at women's satisfaction with their sex lives, negative points in particular stand out. Only four out of ten women experience their sex life as satisfactory. Three out of four women have already had sex to do someone a favor. One in three German-speaking Swiss women has had sex without explicit consent. The percentage of women who have experienced sexual violence at least once in their lives is just as high.
Relaunch: magazine, website and location new
The new Annabelle is about to take off after a year of transition and development and under new ownership. With the relaunch of the magazine and website and the opening of the new editorial and event location in the Viadukt in Zurich. With the presentation of "Annajetzt", the relaunch of Annabelle is launched at the same time. The new Annabelle will be published for the first time on Friday. The relaunch campaign will also start then.
"The results of the study have encouraged us in our plan to work with the new Annabelle to offer a women's magazine for all women in all their diversity." emphasizes Annabelle-chief editor Jacqueline Krause-Blouin and adds "after listening to women in German-speaking Switzerland, we now want to offer you a platform to talk to each other as well."
The data collection for the women's survey "Annajetzt" took place between January 21 and 31, 2021. The population of the survey was the female resident population of German-speaking Switzerland aged 16 and over. The survey was conducted online. The data of 6,280 female participants was taken into account for the analysis. The weighting ensures a high degree of representativeness for the female population of German-speaking Switzerland aged 16 and over.
