(MENAFN- Swissinfo)
Hanna Sahlfeld-Singer (centre) during a panel discussion about women and professional careers in 2019. Anthony Anex/Keystone
Hanna Sahlfeld-Singer was one of the first women to be elected to the Swiss parliament in 1971. The former Swiss politician looks back at her work for women's rights and describes how she paid a high price for her campaigning.
This content was published on February 19, 2021 - 09:00 February 19, 2021 - 09:00 Hanna Sahlfeld-Singer See in other languages: 8
- Deutsch
(de)
"Passt auf, haltet an euren Rechten fest" - Español
(es)
'¡Tened cuidado, defended vuestros derechos!' - Português
(pt)
"Não deixe de lutar pelos seus direitos" - 中文
(zh)
一个早期从政瑞士女性的命运 - عربي
(ar)
هانّا زالفلد زينغر تقول للشابات: 'كُنَّ يقظات، وتمسَّكن بحقوقكن - Français
(fr)
'Défendez vos droits, conseille Hanna Sahlfeld-Singer aux jeunes femmes - 日本語
(ja)
当選妨害、家族にも嫌がらせ スイス初女性議員の苦労 - Italiano
(it)
"State attente, tenetevi stretti i vostri diritti"
Sahlfeld-Singer has lived in Germany for the past 45 years and is arguably one of the prominent Swiss expatriates. This is partly due to her involvement in Swiss politics and women's suffrage.
swissinfo.ch series on 50 years of women's suffrage
On February 7, 1971 Swiss men finally voted to give women full federal voting rights, by a two-thirds majority. Switzerland was the last country in Europe, except for Liechtenstein, to give women the vote.
swissinfo.ch has produced a series of articles, videos and photo galleries to mark this anniversary.
On March 4, swissinfo.ch is organising an online panel discussion on the topic of "50 years after women's suffrage: old questions of power, new fighters, new successes". Participants include Marie-Claire Graf, climate activist and UN climate ambassador; Estefania Cuero, specialist in diversity and human rights; and Regula Stämpfli, political scientist specialising in power.
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Many people might be shocked to hear about the obstacles that she and her family faced during her time as a politician. But in her interview with swissinfo.ch, the 77-year-old pastor refuses to be bitter about past events.
Memories of the historic vote 50 years ago still brings back strong emotions, as she recounts:
'On February 7, 1971, we were on our way back to Switzerland after a private visit to northern Germany. In the evening we were watching the news on the television in the hotel. Then the news came on: Swiss women get the vote.
My husband and I both shouted with joy. It was then – and still is today – an extraordinary and emotional moment.
It was clear to me that the decision that day would only have limited practical consequences for us at the time. In canton St Gallen, where we lived, women still had no say in local or regional politics. In the Protestant Church women had the right to vote, so I got my first 'parliamentary experience' in the church synod.
I don't remember any specific reaction to the vote from family and friends, or conversations with other women about the subject. My everyday life went on as before, I was busy in my parish, which also included regular visits to people who were sick.
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As a teenager I was aware that women were discriminated against, as they were excluded and could not take part in decision-making. This was something we also talked about at home.
In my job I experienced unfair treatment. As an ordained minister and a married woman, I was only given temporary or part-time jobs. But my attitude to social and political issues was known publicly, as I had already made speeches on Swiss National Day before 1971. My husband, a pastor with German citizenship, had always passed on to me requests from the local authorities for official August 1 speeches.
So people knew that I was not only able to preach but also to think and have a political opinion.
However, my speech of 1970 was criticised because, instead of singing Switzerland's praises, I took the liberty of calling for more respect for other opinions. I also demanded the introduction of civilian service for men who, for reasons of conscience, refused to do their compulsory military service in the Swiss army.
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