Status of women in Israel

The Mid-East Dispatch, Issue 183. 19 February, 1997

The Prime Minister's Advisor on the Status of Women, Emunah Elon, has released the annual National Report on the Status of Women in Israel, which will be submitted to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations at a conference next month. The 46-page report outlines actions taken by Israeli governmental agencies to promote progress towards equality of women in Israeli life.

Excerpts from the report:

• In the general elections in May, 1996, the number of women parliamentarians in the 120-seat Knesset was reduced from 13 to 9. However, for the first time, three women have been appointed as Director-Generals of government offices. (p. 2)
• Over 60% of Israeli women are concentrated in a small number of large, female-dominated, labor-intensive, and low-paying occupations, which encompass less than 25% of the range of occupations in Israel. (p. 4)
• Approximately 13% of the new immigrant-families from Russia and the CIS are single-parented, the overwhelming majority of whom are headed by women. (p. 5)
• The numbers of women attending university (including medical schools) has continued to increase; at this time, nearly 50% of the students entering institutions of higher learning are women. (p. 11, 15)
• Israeli women's life expectancy has increased over the last twenty years from 73.4 to 77.4 years. However, Israel is ranked 17th among industrialized nations for women's life expectancy, while it is second overall for men's. (p. 14)
• While the official rabbinical attitude toward domestic violence is one of absolute condemnation, women's advocates contend that domestic violence is still somewhat tolerated.

  Since 1992, women's groups have been actively working with the rabbinical authorities to change this, and they attest that progress has been made towards a reduction of this bias.

  Among Muslims, the practice of "family honor killings" [for conducting premarital relations] continues. The law views these killings as murder and prosecutes accordingly. However, members of the community, men and women alike, frequently collude to protect the murderer, and "family honor killings" may be reported as suicides, accidents, or disappearances. (p. 17-18)

  • Law grants women the right to 12 weeks of maternity leave, with full pay from the National Insurance Institute. Maternity leave can be extended up to one year, unpaid, and taken by either parent. Employees may not be dismissed during extended maternity leave. (p. 27)
  • Three women currently sit on the [14-member] Supreme Court. However, half of the nation's magistrate judges are women. (p. 33) (ARUTZ 7 2/19)

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