1971 Swiss women's suffrage referendum
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7 February 1971
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Federal decision on the introduction of women's suffrage and electoral law in federal matters | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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 For: 50-55% 55-60% 60–65% 65–70% 70–75% 75-80% >80% Against: 50-55% 55-60% 60–65% 65–70% 70–75% 75-80% >80% | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A referendum on the introduction of women's suffrage was held in Switzerland on 7 February 1971. Only men were allowed to vote and the result was that 65.7% voted for the introduction.[1][2] The outcome was expected, as several cantons had introduced women's suffrage in the years previous, and the Swiss Government and several political parties actively supported women's suffrage.[1] It was the second national referendum after one in 1959, in which men voted against the introduction of women's suffrage.[3]
In Switzerland, women's suffrage was demanded in Zurich in 1868, when women also wanted to have a vote in the revision of the cantonal constitution.[1] After the demand was rejected, working women established the Working Women Association which by 1893 repeated the demand for women's suffrage.[1] In 1909, the Swiss Association for Women's Suffrage was established,[1][4] Its aim was for a complete women's suffrage and not only a restricted one in religious or educational matters.[4] In aiming for a national women's suffrage, two attempts were made; a postulate prepared in the National Council (lower chamber of the Swiss Parliament) was presented to the Federal Council in 1919, and in 1929, with the support of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland and the Swiss Association for Women Suffrage and a petition with over 200,000 signatures also demanded women's suffrage. Both attempts were unsuccessful.[1] The Federal Councillor Heinrich Häberlin eventually left the project of women's suffrage to his successor.[5] After several cantonal referendums on women's suffrage in the 1940s, the outcome was negative, in 1951, the Federal Council reasoned the time was not right for a national referendum on women's suffrage.[6] Following this, surveys regarding women in relation to women's suffrage were undertaken in Basel-Stadt, Geneva and Zurich, in which a vast majority of the women supported women's suffrage.[6] In 1957, the Federal Council revised its doubts on women's suffrage and openly supported it.[7] Eventually a national referendum was held in 1959 which resulted in the men voting against women's suffrage.[8] The Federation of Swiss women against women's suffrage was established by the Committee of Swiss women against women's suffrage.[7] When female teachers of a girls' high school in Basel went on strike due to the outcome, some saw it as evidence that women were not ready for democracy.[9]