The Israel Women’s Network (IWN), founded in 1984, aims to promote a better society in Israel through social equality. Our strategy in achieving this goal is to focus on women’s equality, by creating the social, physical, economic and judicial conditions for their prosperity.

During the past three decades, the IWN has worked to promote equality in various fields, primarily through the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) and the Government. In our work with Knesset members and policy makers we strive to apply gender mainstreaming into the everyday work of the Israeli government. In addition, we initiate legislative acts, oppose damaging policy initiatives, and participate in Knesset committee discussions.

Here you can find the full translation of a recent extensive project, in cooperation with the Calcalist newspaper, in which IWN monitored the impact of government offices on gender equality in Israel. The project, which spans eight pages in a Passover holiday magazine, introduces the most prominent accomplishments and failures of 10 vital offices in the 34th government, including the ministries of justice, treasury, health, welfare, interior, transportation, education, defense, internal defense, and development of the Negev desert, the Galilee and the periphery. The report also indicates the main policy advances we expect the new government offices to make in order to advance gender equality in each respective domain. The project uncovers fascinating facts, such as the gender wage gap in government offices, the share of women among top management, which ministries battled exclusion of women, which promoted legislature that fights against sexual violence and prostitution, and which actually increased discrimination and harmed the battle against violence against women: