Anita Fetz, born in 1957 in Basel, is a historian and works as an independent business consultant. As a member of the Progressive Organizations of Switzerland, she served on the Grand Council of Basel-Stadt from 1984 to 1989 and was a member of the National Council from mid-1985 to the end of 1989. In 1990, she co-founded and served as a board member of the Alternative Bank Switzerland until 1997. She joined the Social Democratic Party (SP) in 1995 and was again a member of the Grand Council from 1997 to 2004, as well as a National Council member from the 1999 elections until 2003. Since the 2003 elections, she has been a member of the Council of States for the canton of Basel-Stadt. In February 2012, Fetz was elected alongside Roger Nordmann as the vice president of the SP faction in the Federal Assembly. She has a long history in gender issues, as she empowered women at a time when no one was talking about female empowerment.