Editing History of Switzerland (section)

=== Industrialisation ===
As a consequence of the civil war, Switzerland adopted a [[Swiss Federal Constitution|federal constitution]] in 1848, amending it extensively in 1874 and establishing federal responsibility for defense, trade, and legal matters, leaving all other matters to the cantonal governments. From then, and during much of the 20th century, continuous political, economic, and social improvement has characterized Swiss history.

While Switzerland was primarily rural, the cities experienced an industrial revolution in the late 19th century, focused especially on textiles. In Basel, for example, textiles, including silk, were the leading industry. In 1888 women made up 44% of the wage earners. Nearly half the women worked in the textile mills, with household servants as the second-largest job category. The share of women in the workforce was higher between 1890 and 1910 than it was in the late 1960s and 1970s.<ref>Regina Wecker, "Frauenlohnarbeit – Statistik und Wirklichkeit in der Schweiz an der Wende zum 20", ''Jahrhundert Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Geschichte'' (1984), 34#3, pp. 346–356.</ref>

[[File:Dampfzug Göschenen.jpg|thumb|[[Gotthard Rail Tunnel|Gotthard line]] in 1882]]

Swiss universities in the late 19th century are notable for the number of female students receiving medical education.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Holmes |first=Madelyn |title=Go to Switzerland, young women, if you want to study medicine |journal=[[Women's Studies International Forum]] |volume=7 |issue=4 |pages=243–245 |date=1984 |pmid=11618313 |doi=10.1016/0277-5395(84)90048-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Bonner |first=Thomas N. |title=Medical women abroad: a new dimension of women's push for opportunity in medicine, 1850–1914 |journal=[[Bulletin of the History of Medicine]] |volume=62 |issue=1 |pages=58–73 |date=Spring 1988 |pmid=3285925}}</ref>