Did Switzerland government discriminate against men in its pension benefits? Details here

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has determined that the Switzerland government discriminates against men in its pension benefit regulations. According to the Swiss Pension Law, only widows are eligible to get a pension for the rest of their lives. At the same time, widowed men are only eligible to receive a pension if their children are under 18.

Max Beeler, a Swiss man whose wife died in the early 1990s in a car accident, quit his job to care for his children. He was 41 years old and received a pension that supported him.

But when his younger child turned 18 in 2010, his pension benefits were stopped. If Max Beeler had been female, he would have enjoyed these benefits to date.




Beeler, who relied on his pension, requested that his benefits be continued. But the court dismissed his appeal by saying the men are deliberately recognised as breadwinners by the law.Eventually, Beeler argued successfully, when the case was brought before the ECHR, that the law discriminated against him. With his efforts, Mr. Beeler will receive his pension regularly and the unpaid benefits. Other widowers will also be able to claim their unpaid pension benefits.

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