Gender equality in israel

Where are all the women? Why Israel still struggles to put women at the top of politics

As Israel heads to elections, women remain present in politics but largely absent from its highest ranks

|ByCHANI KAPLAN
Women make up roughly a quarter of Israel’s Knesset, but their representation thins considerably at the highest levels of political power.Premium
Activists protest against a bill promoting gender-segregated academic study tracks, introduced by MK Limor Son Har-Melech, outside the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, July 6, 2026.

Haredi women, academics file petition against Israel's new gender-segregated education law

The petition was filed hours after the Knesset approved an amendment to the law which expressly allows the Council for Higher Education to approve separate programs for men and women.

|BySARAH BEN-NUN
MK Limor Son Har-Melech reacts during a National Security committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament on March 5, 2024; illustrative.

Knesset approves gender-segregated graduate degree programs in late-night vote

The legislation, Amendment No. 12, 2026, was sponsored by MK Limor Son Har Melech and passed by a vote of 52-43.

|ByNAHUM PERRY
Ladies in Bnei Brak watching as the men leave to protest outsidem of Military Prison 10 on June 24, 2026.

Bnei Brak set to become Israel's first city with gender-segregated streets, municipality announces

The municipality issued a statement in response to the report, saying that the decision came after a letter from the city's rabbis, while it also said that it could be further expanded in the future.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

New data maps Israel’s freedom divide: Liberal cities surge, conservative ones slip

The index measures municipal performance across 11 areas tied directly to daily life, including education oversight, gender-segregated events, religious budgets, and transparency.

DECEMBER 10, 2025BySARAH BEN-NUN
Orthodox jews protest against Tel Aviv municipality Shabbat bus service, outside the home of Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai in Tel Aviv on December 7, 2019.

Israel's debate over women in combat was settled on the Gaza and Lebanon battlefields - opinion

The debate over whether women can serve in combat has been settled on the battlefield through two years of war.

DECEMBER 2, 2025ByPNINA SHARVIT BARUCH
Over the past two years, women have served on the frontlines in Gaza and Lebanon, performing under fire alongside their male comrades.

Dr. Esther Luzzatto to receive Ben-Gurion Award from BGU

She is being honored for her contribution to development of the Negev, high-tech, and gender quality

NOVEMBER 19, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Dr. Esther Luzzatto, public activist, social impact leader, and businesswoman.

Israel needs women in leadership - opinion

Our leadership is not only mostly male but also limited and failing. A political system without women at the table is distorted.

AUGUST 26, 2025ByNADAV TAMIR
MEMBERS OF the cabinet headed by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid pose with then-president Reuven Rivlin, after the government was inaugurated in 2021. A breakthrough was achieved: nine women serving as cabinet ministers, the writer notes.

Israelis oppose gender segregation - opinion

The value of gender equality has eroded in Israel over the past two decades, but the majority of the public does not support separation measures.

JULY 10, 2025ByASIF EFRAT
WOMEN AND children at a separate beach in Haifa. Supporters of separation see it as pluralism allowing religious people to operate in the public sphere while maintaining their lifestyles, the writer notes.

Inside Israel's struggle for true gender equality - opinion

Equality is the foundation for a better society.

MARCH 6, 2025ByUDI SAGI
KETER GROUP employees at the factory in Karmiel: We must combat outdated stereotypes that still prevail – suggesting that technological and managerial positions are predominantly suited for men, the writer affirms.

Israel's gender-wage gap worse than developed world and growing, Shoresh Institution says

They also highlighted that while the average gender wage gap of OECD countries is closing with time, Israel's gender wage gap has grown over the last 15 years.

MARCH 4, 2025ByEVE YOUNG
Women's wages as percent of men's wages.

Gender gap remains in labor force, says report

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

FEBRUARY 25, 2025ByARIELA OHRENSTEIN
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.

FEBRUARY 25, 2025ByEVE YOUNG
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. 

DECEMBER 8, 2024ByURI REGEV
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.