Gender equality in israel

Record number of women expected in next Knesset, but only seven in Netanyahu's coalition

The highest projection indicates that a record-breaking 35 women could be elected, whereas the lowest projected figure would maintain the same demographics as the current Knesset.

|ByGOLDIE KATZ
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a vote at the plenum hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on July 16, 2026.
Israeli national flags flutter in front of an office tower at a business park also housing high tech companies, at Ofer Park in Petah Tikva, Israel August 27, 2020.

Israel launches NIS 25 million initiative to close high-tech gender gap

This initiative is a response to persistent gender gaps in the high-tech industry, both in representation across technical and managerial positions and in salary levels. 

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
FROM LEFT: Ziva Glanz of Haredi Public, Lali Deri of People of Israel, Democrats MK Naama Lazimi, Yashar candiate Inbar Yehezkeli, Pnina Tameno-Shete of Blue and White, Israel First candidate Sharren Haskell, and journalist Dafna Liel. (WIZO).

Israeli women demand more than election promises as parties face pressure over equality

A WIZO survey found that 54% of respondents wanted parties to present clear plans to advance women, as election candidates were questioned about safety, equal pay, and representation.

|BySARAH BEN-NUN
Women make up roughly a quarter of Israel’s Knesset, but their representation thins considerably at the highest levels of political power.PremiumPremium

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

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.

JULY 16, 2026BySARAH BEN-NUN
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.

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.

JULY 16, 2026ByNAHUM PERRY
MK Limor Son Har-Melech reacts during a National Security committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament on March 5, 2024; illustrative.

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.

JULY 14, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Ladies in Bnei Brak watching as the men leave to protest outsidem of Military Prison 10 on June 24, 2026.

The controversy over mixed-gender IDF units still ruffles Israeli society - opinion

The deeper challenge lies in the clash between equality at any price and adherence to Jewish law.

MAY 17, 2026BySHUKI FRIEDMAN
IDF forces during the “Sulfur and Fire” readiness exercise on May 15, 2026.

Israel leads in tech innovation, not in gender inclusion - opinion

Despite leading the global tech race, Israel lags in gender inclusion 

APRIL 14, 2026ByANNE BAER
Women in Tech® Israel held its first international conference with representatives from 13 other countries last year, which included female tech leaders from Afghanistan and Kosovo.

Equality is designed, and so is inequality - opinion

How feminist urbanism is rethinking public space design

MARCH 5, 2026ByELLA KATZ SCHONFELD
Ella Katz Schonfeld.

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

FEBRUARY 24, 2026ByRUTH MARKS EGLASH
First Lady Michal Herzog, the cover story of this issue, greets schoolchildren during an official visit to Australia.

Visible everywhere, powerful nowhere: The paradox facing Israeli women in 2026 - analysis

Women are everywhere in Israeli life, but absent where power and protection are decided.

FEBRUARY 24, 2026ByCHANI KAPLAN
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.

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

A woman rabbi in Israel reflects on leadership, feminism, and spiritual responsibility in a wounded nation

FEBRUARY 24, 2026ByRABBI TALIA AVNON-BENVENISTE
Six new Israeli Reform rabbis, all women, were ordained last year at the Hebrew Union College Taube Family Campus in Jerusalem.

Israel hits all-time low in women's political representation. Can it be reversed? - opinion

As Israel heads to the polls, can the next election halt – or deepen – the steady erosion of women’s political representation?

FEBRUARY 24, 2026ByANAT THON-ASHKENAZY
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.