In Switzerland, it only takes 100,000 signatures in favor of an idea to put it to a nationwide vote. What’s more, laws can be challenged in a referendum for which only 50,000 signatures are required. Swiss voters have made around 650 decisions since 1848, with the marriage law being one of the most unusual. Prior to 1985, husbands had the last say on everything in a marriage. The husband managed the assets the wife brought into the marriage, he could forbid his wife from working, and he could even sell the house without his wife’s consent. In 1985, that all changed, with 54% of citizens voting to change the law. If only men had voted, the old marriage law would have remained in place.
