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Switzerland has been discriminating against men
A new finding shows the Swiss government has been discriminating against men
It turns out Switzerland has been discriminating against the male population. Now, if you’re a man in Switzerland, you’re probably breathing a sigh of relief.
In a ruling handed down by the European Court of Human Rights, men will now be able to receive a pension payment if their spouses die.
This decision will cost the government millions in backdated payments, and force it to rewrite pension law.
Male discrimination
Currently, women whose husbands die are paid a pension for the rest of their lives, while men only receive payments if they have children under 18.
The court found the so-called “male breadwinner” concept is not enough to justify this.
The decision centred on the case of Max Beeler, a Swiss man whose wife died in an accident in the early 1990s.
When his wife died, he expected to receive a survivor’s pension like any other widower.
But because he did not have dependent children under 18, he was denied the pension.
The court found this amounted to discrimination on the grounds of gender and ordered Switzerland to pay up.