Gender equality in israel

Two years after October 7, Israeli women still battle for equality - from the editor

As International Women’s Day approaches, the newest edition highlights women and their place in Israeli society since October 7

First Lady Michal Herzog, the cover story of this issue, greets schoolchildren during an official visit to Australia.
 Golda Meir, Israel’s first and only female prime minister, led through a small circle of senior advisers known as ‘Golda’s Kitchen’ from 1969 until 1974 – an exception in a political system where women’s authority has remained limited and largely isolated.

Visible everywhere, powerful nowhere: The paradox facing Israeli women

Six new Israeli Reform rabbis, all women, were ordained last year at the Hebrew Union College Taube Family Campus in Jerusalem.

A woman rabbi on healing Israel: Authority means service, not power - opinion

The outlook for increasing women’s participation in political life is bleak, with no women in the ultra-Orthodox parties, not a single party led by a woman, and none even committed to equal representation on their candidate lists.

Israel once ranked 48th for women in politics, now its 104th


Gender gap remains in labor force, says report

Despite progress, women in Israel face greater job instability, especially in times of crisis.

Gender pay gap representation

State did not meet its obligation for equal representation of women - High Court

The petition urged the court to address the lack of women in directors-general roles in Israel's government, following the appointment of 10 men.

 THE HIGH COURT of Justice holds a session. In the past, the court ruled that women cannot be forced to take a specific seat on a bus, the writer notes.

Hypocrisy and deception: The gender segregation bill - opinion

Legislation that is so deeply rooted in hypocrisy and deception should not be considered by the legislative bodies of Israel. 

 MK LIMOR SON HAR-MELECH attends a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, earlier this year. She has presented a bill which seeks to expand and legitimize gender segregation in Israel’s institutions of higher education, beyond what the High Court has permitted.

Knesset advances controversial gender segregation bill for higher education

Opposition MKs criticized the proposed bill as being discriminatory and as legitimizing segregation in Israeli society. 

 MK Limor Son Har-Melech and MK Gilad Kariv attend Constitution, Law and Justice Committee meeting in the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem, on August 7, 2024.

Why is the gender gap in tech so large? Entrepreneurs push for change at FemTech 2024

Experts and innovators emphasized mentorship, confidence, and persistence as key strategies for overcoming systemic inequalities in tech.

 FemTech 2024

Yom Kippur prayers in Tel Aviv can take place with partitions to separate genders, High Court rules

Justices Mintz, Grosskopf, and Kasher issued the High Court ruling, which stated that the Tel Aviv municipality is authorized to make arrangements for the Yom Kippur prayer.

 Jews pray while activists protest against gender segregation in the public space during a public prayer on Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and the holiest of Jewish holidays, September 25, 2023.

Expanding gender segregation threatens equality in Israel - opinion

Reports of girls being asked by ultra-Orthodox passengers to move to the back of a bus highlight growing gender segregation efforts in Israel.

 THE HIGH COURT of Justice holds a session. In the past, the court ruled that women cannot be forced to take a specific seat on a bus, the writer notes.

Knesset approves tens of thousands of shekels worth of benefits for relatives of Hamas hostages

The Israeli government has approved financial assistance for families of Hamas hostages, including grants, childcare subsidies, and legal support.

Inside the Knesset building.

Gender equality struggles intensify for Israeli women during war

As men are called up for reserve duty, Israeli women find themselves juggling childcare, work, and household responsibilities during the ongoing conflict with Hamas.

 An illustrative of the wife of a reserve soldier whose payments were taxed.

Women’s voices will be catalysts for change - opinion

As the DNC in Chicago highlighted the powerful voices of Kamala Harris, Oprah Winfrey, and more, the contrast in Israel’s political landscape revealed a critical gender imbalance.

 The writer speaks during a committee discussion in the Knesset about the demand for equality in Israeli politics.