Swiss Review 4/2020

Swiss Review / July 2020 / No.4 9 dividual responsibility. For example, families and the government save eight billion Swiss francs a year on childcare thanks to the role of grand- parents. In turn, the working popula- tion has been paying into the state pension system (old-age and survi- vors’ insurance) for over 70 years. The intergenerational contract – the ‘glue’ that binds young and old – is a Swiss institution. “Made scapegoats” COVID-19 put this contract to the test, and the outcome was double-edged. On the one hand, there was a great deal of goodwill. People went out of their way to help the elderly in many parts of the country. Young people frequently did the shopping for their older neighbours, for example. That the old ‘will soon die anyway’, regard- less of COVID-19, was and is a cynical minority view. However, politicians and the media began to wonder whether the whole of Switzerland re- ally had to shut down to protect the old and vulnerable. Some suggested that pensioners with secure incomes should foot some of the huge bill as- sociated with the lockdown – other- wise the younger generations would be forced to pick up the tab for a long time to come. Resentment began to bubble among older people. While many ac- cepted the restrictions with a certain sangfroid, the younger baby-boomer group who value their independence had particular problems adapting. No longer pillars of society, now they were nothing more than ‘at risk’ and a burden. Some received verbal abuse for not staying at home – although they were always allowed to go out in Switzerland. A 74-year-old man told Swiss television that this was the first time he had ever experienced dis- crimination. Why the backlash? Inter- generational expert Pasqualina Per- rig-Chiello: “Older people weremade scapegoats during this difficult time.” The crisis brought out the latent neg- ative associations ascribed to older people. Implications for the state pension? She says we have a “clichéd” view of the elderly: all frail, all well off. This view is far from correct. The Berne- based academic criticises politicians for also having helped to fuel this stereotype. The longer-term impact of the coronavirus crisis remains to be seen. Intense debate surrounded the issue of ‘intergenerational con- flict’ even before the outbreak. Swit- zerland has an ageing population. Solutions are needed for social wel- fare, nursing care, pension provision, etc. “NZZ am Sonntag” believes that competition for a slice of the cake will increase after COVID-19. Young people need more support and the intergenerational contract looks shaky, argues the newspaper. If anything, Perrig-Chiello thinks that the epidemic has proved how lit- tle the different generations are ac- quainted with each other on a soci- etal level. Yet the Swiss have shown a remarkable amount of intergenera- tional solidarity in her view, “regard- less of what the media say”. This is something on which to build. “Then we could renegotiate the intergener- ational contract on a more rational basis.” Older people can also play a part, as the epidemic itself shows. The retired doctors and nurses who re- turned to the front line are perhaps the best example.