Published on 25 August 2023

About the Federal Office for Gender Equality (FOGE)

The mandate of the FOGE is defined in the Federal Act on Gender Equality (Gender Equality Act, GEA): the FOGE promotes gender equality in all areas of life and is committed to eliminating discrimination.

The work of the FOGE is described in the GEA as follows: «The Federal Office for Gender Equality promotes the equality of women and men in all areas of life and is committed to eliminating any form of direct or indirect discrimination.» (Art. 16 Gender Equality Act).

Organisationsverordnung für das Eidgenössische Departement des Innern

• Organigram FOGE

  PDF133.76 kB3 March 2025

Our Tasks

The FOGE in figures

In 2024, the FOGE:

• coordinated 329 measures from the action plan of the Gender Equality Strategy 2030;
• conducted 204 consultations on equal pay analyses using Logib;
• carried out 30 verifications of equal pay compliance for enterprises that were awarded public contracts;
• prepared 150 statements within the framework of consultation procedures for federal offices;
• responded to 7 parliamentary interventions;
• awarded a total of 4.3 million Swiss francs for the promotion of gender equality in the work place;
• awarded a total of 3 million Swiss francs for the prevention of and fight against violence;
• provided financial support for 50 new projects;
• coordinated and monitored 44 measures for the implementation of the Istanbul Convention aimed at preventing and combating violence against women;
• actively participated in 10 international events on gender equality-related topics;
• integrated a new specialized domain focusing on LGBTIQ.

Key issues in 2025

• Gender Equality Strategy 2030

  An action plan is in place for the implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy 2030. The FOGE is responsible for monitoring its measures and updating the action plan. The action plan is updated twice a year and can be found on the website www.gleichstellung2030.ch.  An interim evaluation will be conducted by the end of 2025. It will help determine whether adjustments to the strategy are needed for its continued implementation.
  
  Gender Equality Strategy 2030

• Law

  The central legal instrument for the realisation of gender equality in the workplace is the Federal Act on Gender Equality (GEA). With the objective of promoting the implementation of the GEA, the FOGE informs organisations, expert groups and the wider public about specific aspects of the law, for example sexual harassment. At the invitation of the Federal Supreme Court, it provides opinions on cases pending before the highest Swiss court on the basis of the GEA. At the end of 2024, the FOGE and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO published a study on the extent of sexual harassment in the workplace. This year, based on the findings, information and training materials for industry organisations, employers, and employees will be updated and revised.

• Employment and care

  Gender equality in the workplace is key to achieving equality in all areas of life. Equal pay will therefore continue to be a focus for the FOGE in 2025. The development and provision of high-quality tools for equal pay analysis (Logib) is part of the Gender Equality Strategy 2030. With Logib pay system, the tool has been expanded to include a functionality for creating a simple, gender-neutral, function-based pay system.
  
  Promoting equal pay with Logib
  
  In 2022, and in compliance with a postulate by the National Council Science, Education and Culture Committee (SECC-N), the Federal Council adopted the report on the «Strategy to strengthen the charter for equal pay». The 18 measures set out in the report are intended to better exploit the potential of the charter for equal pay in the public sector.  In 2024, the Charter for Equal Pay was given a committee made up of representatives from the federal government, cantons, municipalities, and state-affiliated companies. This committee has the mandate to coordinate measures and ensure the exchange of information. Furthermore, the FOGE conducted an in-depth survey among the signatory entities to enable them to report on their progress in professional equality. The results of this monitoring will be available on a new web platform during 2025.
  
  Charter for equal pay in the public sector
  
  Monitoring compliance with equal pay in public procurement on behalf of the procuring bodies remains a core task of the FOGE. In 2025, the focus is on 30 new verifications of small and medium-sized providers who have been awarded public contracts.
  
  Equal pay in procurement

• Violence

  Combating and preventing violence against women and domestic violence is a central theme of the FOGE. The FOGE is the national coordination body for implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention), which was ratified by Switzerland in 2017. The FOGE chairs the Confederation’s interdepartmental working group and is part of the committee of the Confederation, cantons and communes for implementation of the Istanbul Convention. In 2022, with a view to implementing the Istanbul Convention in Switzerland, the Federal Council adopted the national action plan drawn up by the FOGE in cooperation with the cantons and communes. An interim report on the implementation of the Istanbul Convention was published in 2024.
  
  The minimum standards for training and further education with regard to gender-specific, sexualised and domestic violence show the thematic content and skills that should be taught for various professional groups. This includes basic knowledge during training or specific specialist knowledge in training or further education. This year, further professional groups will be added.  A multi-year national campaign will be launched to prevent domestic, sexualised, and gender-based violence in late 2025.
  
  Violence against women and domestic violence

• LGBTIQ

  Since 2024, the Federal Office for Gender Equality (FOGE) has been responsible for all matters relating to equality for LGBTIQ people at the federal level. In this role, the office responds to specific parliamentary mandates and coordinates cooperation with other federal offices dealing with LGBTIQ issues. It also maintains contact with the cantons and communes that are actively addressing these issues and promotes dialogue with specialised and non-governmental organisations. One of its primary tasks is to develop a national action plan against LGBTIQ-hostile hate crimes.

• Financial aid

  Each year, the FOGE awards financial aid to projects. Applications can be submitted by public or private non-profit organisations.
  
  An annual sum of around 4 million francs is available for financial aid in the area of equality in the workplace, funding projects that contribute as specifically and sustainably as possible to true equality in practice in working life.
  
  Financial aid for projects on gender equality in the workplace
  
  For financial aid in the area of prevention of violence, the FOGE disposes of around 3 million francs each year, which are used to support projects to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence and to coordinate stakeholders in this area.
  
  Financial aid for measures to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence
  
  The submission dates for applications for financial aid are 31 January and 31 August each year.

• International

  The FOGE represents Switzerland in the various international bodies to which it belongs, in particular the UN, the OECD, the Council of Europe, and the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC). The International Affairs division addresses gender equality issues and contributes to the promotion of international equality standards, including in the context offoreign policy. It ensures that best practices are collected and disseminated at the global level while maintaining a coherent and comprehensive perspective on Switzerland’s positions on gender equality. Additionally, it highlights Swiss initiatives, thereby strengthening the FOGE’s role as a key actor in this field.
  
  Cooperation in Switzerland and internationally

All upcoming events

Working at the FOGE

Information on jobs with the Confederation at the job portal

Information on

• Internships for students and graduates [externer Link]
• Work experience placements [externer Link] for young unemployed people with little or no work experience (SOMS)
• Commercial internships [externer Link] for graduates of upper-secondary level commercial schools.

Contact

All contact and location information