Swiss women could face mandatory army orientation day
Wednesday 9th September 2026 on 15:01 in
Switzerland
Switzerland’s Federal Council wants young women to attend an orientation day for the army and civil protection, SRF reported. Parliament can now consider the proposed constitutional amendment, but voters and the cantons will have the final say.
Young Swiss men must currently attend the orientation day, where they learn about service in the army and civil protection, recruitment, available roles and career opportunities. Women may attend voluntarily but are not required to do so.
The government says making attendance compulsory for women could increase their participation in voluntary military and civil protection service. It also wants to remove informal barriers that discourage women from attending. The requirement could take effect as early as 2030.
Most respondents supported the proposal during the consultation process, the Federal Council said. However, 18 cantons want the federal government to cover the additional annual cost of 3.3 million Swiss francs. The council rejected the request, saying the orientation days should not be financed differently according to gender. The cantons currently pay for the sessions attended by men.
The Federal Council said the additional costs would be manageable. No canton would face more than 600,000 Swiss francs in extra annual costs. Cantons that opposed the requirement cited the effort needed to introduce it and questioned whether it would deliver sufficient benefits.
Mandatory overseas training proposed
The Federal Council also wants to restructure the army’s command organisation in response to the deteriorating security situation. Its plans include mandatory overseas training periods for militia personnel.
The government said spatial and security-related restrictions in Switzerland were making it increasingly difficult to provide suitable infrastructure at home. Army personnel would be able to apply to postpone the training if they were unwilling or unable to complete it abroad, as they can for regular refresher courses.
About 2,500 women were serving in the army in 2024, representing 2.3 percent of personnel. Former Defence Minister Viola Amherd had aimed to raise the proportion of women to 10 percent by 2030. Her successor, Martin Pfister, did not set a target when presenting the proposal.