We are approaching the third elections in one year in Israel, and in terms of women’s represen
tation – the situation keeps going downhill…
Before dispersing itself prior to the April 2019 elections, the Knesset boasted a record number of women since the establishment of the State of Israel: 35 women served as MKs. We had hoped for yet a new record in the coming elections, aspiring to one third of Knesset members being women, but reality swung the pendulum in the other direction: less women, in less senior positions, and for the first time after five consecutive elections – not a single woman heading a political party.In recent years we’ve seen dramatic protests that significantly changed the public discourse, like the #metoo revolution, and we have also seen some advanced legislation, such as the
law against prostitution. But at the same time, we are witnessing a significant digression in the representation of women in senior positions: less MKs, less executive directors in government offices and in senior regulation positions, and in the Tel Aviv index of the 125 largest public companies – there remains a lone female CEO among 124 men.