View source for Federation of Swiss women against women's suffrage

{{Cleanup|reason=Many weird sentences, poor translations?|date=June 2023}}
The '''Federation of Swiss Women Against Women's Suffrage''' was founded in 1959 after in a referendum of 1959 in which the Swiss men voted not to grant women the right to vote.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Furter |first=Daniel A. |url=http://furter.net/downloads/Lizentiat_Die_Gegnerinnen_des_Frauenstimmrechts.pdf |title=«Die umgekehrten Suffragetten» Die Gegnerinnen des Frauenstimmrechts in der Schweiz von 1958 bis 1971 |year=2003 |pages=7}}</ref> It aimed to prevent  women from receiving the right to vote. Its first president was [[Gertrud Haldimann]], [[Ida Monn-Krieger]] succeeded her in 1967. It disestablished itself after in a [[1971 Swiss women's suffrage referendum|referendum of 1971]], women's suffrage was approved.
== Background ==
Over twenty [[Cantons of Switzerland|cantonal]] referenda on [[women's suffrage]] were held between 1919 and 1959 and each time women were denied their voting rights by the men who had the right to vote.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Petersen |first=Selim |date=2021-06-17 |title=50 Jahre Frauenstimmrecht - Archivperlen eines Schweizer Heldinnenkampfes |url=https://www.srf.ch/kultur/film-serien/50-jahre-frauenstimmrecht-archivperlen-eines-schweizer-heldinnenkampfes |access-date=2023-05-31 |website=[[Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen]] |language=de}}</ref> In 1957, the all-male [[Federal Council (Switzerland)|Federal Council]] (The Swiss Government) began to support women suffrage, but recalled women were not disadvantaged in Swiss society.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Merz |first=Noëmi Crain |date=2021-07-16 |title=Frauen gegen das Frauenstimmrecht |url=https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/2021/07/frauen-gegen-das-frauenstimmrecht/ |access-date=2023-06-01 |website=Blog zur Schweizer Geschichte - [[Swiss National Museum]] |language=de-DE}}</ref> In view of a referendum on [[Women's suffrage in Switzerland|women's suffrage]] in 1959,<ref name=":3">{{cite web|access-date=2023-06-14|language=de|publisher=Staatsarchiv des Kantons Zürich|title=Bund der Schweizerinnen gegen das Frauenstimmrecht, Kanton Zürich|url=https://suche.staatsarchiv.djiktzh.ch/detail.aspx?ID=4574131}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref> a group of [[Anti-suffragism|anti-suffragists]] convened in [[Lucerne]] in June 1958 and founded a "Committee for action against women's suffrage" under the lead of Josefine Steffen-Zehnder.<ref name=":2">Furter, Daniel A.(2003).pp.25–26</ref> In their first reunion, they renamed themselves into "Committee of Swiss women against women's suffrage".<ref name=":2" /> The committee of Swiss women held several reunions ahead of the referendum of 1959 to discuss campaign tactics.<ref name=":2" /> To those reunions also attended [[National Council (Switzerland)|National Councillor]] (MP) Karl Hackhofer from the [[Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland|Christian Democratic People's Party]] (CVP).<ref name=":2" /> In September 1958, cantonal branches were planned to be established in the cantons of [[Thurgau]], [[Canton of Zürich|Zurich]], [[Canton of Schaffhausen|Schaffhausen]] and the cantons of [[central Switzerland]].<ref name=":4">Furter, Daniel A.(2003).pp.27–28</ref> But in most of the cantons only a few women were active anti-suffragists and the branches seem to have existed mostly in theory.<ref name=":4" /> The one in Schaffhausen seemed to have disestablished itself following the referendum.<ref name=":4" />
=== 1959 referendum on women's suffrage ===
For the national referendum on women's suffrage in 1959, the [[Social Democratic Party of Switzerland|Social Democratic Party]] (SP) and the [[Alliance of Independents]] both supported the yes campaign.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Frauenstimmrecht in der Schweiz |url=https://www.ch.ch/de/wahlen2023/geschichte-der-wahlen/frauenstimmrecht#ablehnung-in-der-1-eidg-volksabstimmung-in-1959}}</ref> The result was that about 66% of the men said no to women suffrage.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":5" /> Only the three [[Romandy|French speaking cantons]], [[Vaud]], [[Canton of Neuchâtel|Neuchâtel]] and [[Canton of Geneva|Geneva]] approved women's suffrage in the referendum in 1959.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Frauenstimmrecht |url=https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/articles/010380/2023-04-04/ |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=[[Historical Dictionary of Switzerland]] |language=de}}</ref> Vaud and Neuchâtel introduced it the same year, Geneva in 1960.<ref name=":6" />
== Establishment ==
Following the electoral success in the referendum of 1959, from the committee of Swiss women against women's suffrage, the Federation of Swiss women against women's suffrage was founded in May 1959.<ref name=":2" /> As its first president Gertrud Haldimann was elected.<ref>Furter, Daniel A.,p.39</ref>
=== Cantonal branches ===
A branch for [[Canton of Lucerne|Lucerne]] was established on 4 June 1959, another for [[Canton of Bern|Berne]] followed on the 29 June.<ref name=":7">Furter, Daniel A.(2003).pp.29–30</ref> The one in Zurich followed in January 1960, in [[Canton of Solothurn|Solothurn]] a section was founded in June 1961.<ref name=":7" /> The names of the presidencies in the cantonal branches were often the same as the ones of the national federation.<ref name=":7" /> In Solothurn, the sister of Gertrud Haldimann was made the sections president.<ref name=":7" /> The branch in Lucerne was mostly inactive following the death of its president Josefine Steffen-Zehnder.<ref name=":7" /> Neither in Schaffhausen or in the cantons of central Switzerland, the Federation was able to recruit enough willing members.<ref name=":7" /> In 1968, Gertrud Haldimann acknowledged that in all cantonal branches, there were only a few active members and it has been difficult to recruit new ones from the start.<ref>Furter, Daniel A.,p.30</ref>
== Arguments ==
The federation did not so much campaign against more women's rights, but was against what they called the "wrong rights".<ref name=":1" /> They reasoned that whilst men did have to serve in the military and women not, men were able to vote and women not.<ref name=":1" /> Or they argued that even though there existed a few women who were interested in politics (like also themselves), in total they were not enough.<ref name=":1" /> The few interested ones were deemed overly educated, and therefore incapable to represent the needs of the average Swiss woman.<ref name=":1" /> Another argument was that a good mother had more power than a suffragette.<ref>{{Cite web |title="Eine gute Mutter hat mehr Macht als eine Stimmrechtlerin" |url=https://www.zentralplus.ch/blog/damals-blog/eine-gute-mutter-hat-mehr-macht-als-eine-stimmrechtlerin/ |access-date=2023-06-02 |website=zentralplus |language=de-CH}}</ref>
=== 1971 referendum on women's suffrage ===
In the national referendum on women's suffrage on the 7 February 1971, the men approved it with 65.7%.<ref name=":1" /> The result was also the end of the Federation of Swiss women against women's suffrage.<ref name=":1" />
== References ==
<references />
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:1959 establishments in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Anti-suffragist organizations]]
[[Category:1971 disestablishments in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Women's rights organizations]]