Combining work, family and politics is just too much

As many as four young members of the FDP party on the Greater City Council have decided not to seek re-election in autumn. The reason? Politics is just taking up too much of their time.
 
The members in question are Sandra Barmettler, Barbara Hotz, Martin Kühn and Adrian Moos, who follow on from four other young members of the council who left during the course of the last legislation period.
 
Martin Kühn, who headed his party on the council, said, "When I was elected four years ago, my situation was different from what it is today." Indeed he is now the head of finance of a company and is in charge of some 150 staff. "You can imagine, this is all very demanding," he said, though this is not the only reason he has decided not to stand for re-election as he has three children between the ages of 2 and 7. "I have realised that it is just not possible to combine my job, my role as a father and be involved in politics, not if you want to give your utmost to each of these three areas," he admitted. "It is often family and friends who lose out," he said, though I shall miss my political role, it has always been great fun." As to Adrian Moos, his reasons are very similar.
 
The problem is not only affecting young councillors in the city but cantonal parliamentarians, too. Father-of-four Thomas Rickenbacher of the CVP party in Cham will also not be standing again, simply because politics took up too much of his time.
 
So is it not possible to combine being in politics with having a job and a family as well? "To a certain extent it is," said Ivo Hunn of the Green Liberal Party of Baar, but he, too, has decided not to seek re-election. Being a parliamentarian alone is fine, but there is so much additional work involved in it, especially if you are on the party board. Then preparation takes such a long time, not to mention all these invitations one is expected to attend," said the father of two young children.
 
Furthermore, he is in the throes of setting up his own business, involving much work at night-time. "The thing is that there is just not the time to do all the research which really needs to be done in discussing complex matters," he said. "If politicians were paid more, then I think they would spend more time on it," he added.
 
29-year-old Anna Bieri of the CVP party of Hünenberg also knows how difficult it is to combine work and politics. What is particularly difficult for her is that she is a teacher at the Cantonal School and so her working time is not flexible. As to whether she would be able to manage so well if she had children, she is not so sure, but she would hope to be able to.
 
Another secondary school teacher, Zari Dzaferi of the SP party of Baar, said it was a problem to find the time to devote to politics if one wanted to do everything as conscientiously as one wanted, especially when one has to deal with matters one does not normally have much to do with. "Then there are all these committees you have to attend. It does not leave much time for leisure time and family," he said.
 
As Kühn summed up, "Being between the ages of 30 and 50 is a very busy time for a lot of people. It is possible to get involved in politics during this time but it is not easy. This is why it is probably better to take a political break."