ABSTRACT
IN THE AREA OF political rights, Switzerland undeniably stands out as a unique case. It was the first modern democracy to grant universal male suffrage in 1848, and while this right remained unquestioned, Switzerland was also the last country in Europe to grant the right to vote to its female citizens. Women's suffrage did not receive approval at the national level until 1971. Moreover, it was not until 1990 that every political body at the cantonal and municipal level finally recognized women's voting rights, and this only because the canton of Appenzell Innerhoden was forced to capitulate in the face of a decision handed down by the federal court. All told, close to one hundred votes had been needed for the measure to pass electorally. How should we interpret Switzerland's exceptionalism in this matter? For the persistence of its refusal to grant women's suffrage was certainly an anomaly, even though women's political representation in Switzerland quickly caught up with European averages after 1990.
