Editing Ruth Dreifuss (section)

== Early life and education ==
Ruth Dreifuss was born 9 January 1940 in [[St. Gallen, Switzerland]], the second of two children, to Sidney Dreifuss (1899-1956), a merchant, and Jeanne "Johanna" ([[née]] Bicard; 1905-1962), a secretary.<ref>Obituary of Hermann Dreifuss (paternal grandfather)

https://www.e-newspaperarchives.ch/?a=d&d=NZZ19390911-03.2.19&srpos=5&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN-Sidney+Dreifuss-------0-----</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=La liberté 11 October 1993 — e-newspaperarchives.ch |url=http://www.e-newspaperarchives.ch/?a=d&d=LLE19931011-01.2.236&srpos=6 |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=www.e-newspaperarchives.ch |language=en}}</ref> Her elder brother, Jean-Jacques Dreifuss, is a [[professor emeritus]] at the [[University of Geneva]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Archives UNIGE - Notices d'autorité |url=https://archives.unige.ch/authorities/view/586 |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=archives.unige.ch}}</ref> Her paternal family belongs to the oldest Jewish families of Switzerland settled in [[Endingen, Switzerland|Endingen]]. Her maternal family originally hailed from [[Horbourg-Wihr]] in [[Alsace–Lorraine|Alsace]], they became citizens in [[Boppelsen]] in 1886.<ref>Bicard von Boppelsen (ZH)

https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/famn/index.php</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Jules BICARD geb. 23 Jan 1867 Horburg (Horbourg-Wihr), Alsace (Elsass), Frankreich gest. Datum unbekannt: JMH Genealogy |url=https://www.hohenemsgenealogie.at/gen/getperson.php?personID=I45243&tree=Hohenems |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=www.hohenemsgenealogie.at}}</ref> Officially, Dreifuss is [[non-denominational]]; however, she considers herself a [[Jewish secularism|secular Jew]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dreifuss: Judentum ist mehr als eine Konfession |url=https://www.vgt.ch/vn/9703/judentum.htm |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=www.vgt.ch}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Spuren der Zeit - Die Schweizer Judendörfer - Auf Spurensuche in Endingen und Lengnau - Play SRF |url=https://www.srf.ch/play/tv/spuren-der-zeit/video/die-schweizer-judendoerfer-auf-spurensuche-in-endingen-und-lengnau?urn=urn:srf:video:19ea3eb7-68a4-4a16-8ce4-444995691c2e |access-date=2023-09-21 |language=de}}</ref>

In 1945, the family relocated to [[Geneva]], where Dreifuss attended ''École de Sécheron'', since 1947. After secondary school (Rue Neckar) she attended a commercial school, completing a general business diploma. In 1958, she started to study [[social studies]] at the [[:fr:Haute école de travail social de Genève|Haute école de travail social]] in Geneva, concurrently she attended several courses at the [[University of Geneva]] and its then-affiliated [[Graduate Institute of Development Studies]]. In 1970, aged 30, she obtained a [[Master of Arts]] in [[Economics]] from this university.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Geschichte der Sozialen Sicherheit-Dreifuss, Ruth |url=https://www.geschichtedersozialensicherheit.ch/akteure/bundesraetinnen-und-bundesraete/dreifuss-ruth |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=www.geschichtedersozialensicherheit.ch}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ruth Dreifuss {{!}} IHEID |url=https://www.graduateinstitute.ch/enduring-legacy-future-generations/ruth-dreifuss |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=www.graduateinstitute.ch}}</ref>