In some countries – including Scandinavian nations - the population expects the government to come to their aid in many situations and address their needs.
This is less so the case in Switzerland, where emphasis is on the responsibility of each person to be self-reliant – that is, to take care of themselves and contribute to the society as well, and not vice-versa.
This principle is outlined in the Article 6 of Switzerland’s Constitution, which states that “every person is responsible for themselves and contributes according to their abilities to the accomplishment of the tasks of the State and society.”
‘Bearing the consequences of one’s actions’
“Personal responsibility is central in Switzerland because it is the direct corollary of a high degree of individual freedom and direct democracy, based on the idea that every citizen must bear the consequences of their actions,” said David Fiorucci, Swiss author and leadership expert.
Further, “being ‘accountable’ means accepting not only to act consciously, but also to fully assume responsibility for the results of one's choices, whether good or bad,” he pointed out.
Everyone who has grown or lived in Switzerland for a long time is familiar with this principle: according to the Swiss Centre of Human Rights (SCHR) it "is deeply rooted in tradition and national consciousness.”
What are some real-life examples of this emphasis on individual responsibility in Switzerland?
The most recent one concerns Swiss tourists stranded in the Middle East after US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran on February 28h.
The closure of airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha - the main transit hubs to Asia – has left about 4,000 Swiss nationals without a clear prospect of returning to Switzerland.
But while neighbours France and Germany were preparing repatriation flights for their citizens, Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said that repatriation of tourists stranded in foreign lands is not up to the government, but is instead a matter of "individual responsibility.”
In other words, Swiss government’s position is that tourists choose willingly to travel to various destinations, and must therefore assume the consequences themselves.
READ MORE: Does Switzerland have a plan to evacuate citizens stranded in the Middle East?
But this stance is not only a cultural one.
The Swiss Abroad Act stipulates that the government expects “ each and every individual to assume personal responsibility when planning and undertaking a period abroad or pursuing an activity abroad, act in a risk-appropriate manner, and try to overcome any difficulties on his or her own.”
Another example: Parental leave
In Sweden, where the government provides many social benefits to its residents, the 480-day parental leave is the norm.
That is a far cry from the situation in Switzerland, where the statuary leave is only 14 weeks (98 days) for mothers and two weeks for fathers.
That is because Switzerland – you guessed it - has a strong history of individual responsibility, which promoted the idea that the state (or employer) should not pay for people choosing to have children.
Parents can buy a complementary ‘maternity insurance to supplement the statuary benefits - which also falls under the category of ‘personal responsibility.
All this may run counter to the image Switzerland likes to foster as a socially progressive nation, but it is only one part of the story.
Personal versus social responsibility
Just as much as Swiss people value individual responsibility, they also feel strongly about the larger context of social responsibility.
This notion entails social consciousness, which focuses not only on one’s own rights but also those of others living in the same society.
One example of caring about other people’s well-being is the sense of solidarity that is also deeply rooted in Swiss mentality.
For instance, rather than applying an individual approach to healthcare insurance, Switzerland’s system is based on the idea that all insured people form a group.
You can think of this system in terms of a huge pot to which each resident of Switzerland makes a contribution (that is, premium payments), so that in an emergency there are enough resources available to give someone the help they need.
This kind of ‘one for all’ approach takes precedence over the ‘to each his own’ attitude prevalent in many other countries.
READ MORE: How the Swiss health insurance system is based on solidarity
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