_a.jpg "Photo: Dalit Shacham")
Gov't slammed for lack of female representation
Olmert’s coalition hasn’t been fully assembled yet, but it appears that only two of 27 ministers will be women; women’s rights activists: This is a disgrace, revolution is needed; Israel ranks 40th - below Cuba, Mexico, Tunisia, in female representation in government
The new Kadima government is set to appoint 27 ministers. Possibly even more. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert apparently doesn’t skimp when it comes to coalition partnerships. However, when it comes to another kind of partnership – with women –discrimination seems to be the word of the day.
If there are no last minute surprises, only two of the 27 ministers to be appointed will be women: Tzipi Livni (Kadima) as Foreign Minister, and Yuli Tamir as Education Minister. In comparison, during the last government’s peak under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, there were four women ministers: Livni, Limor Livnat, Dalia Itzik and Yehudit Naot. In addition, four female deputy ministers served alongside them – positions which will be completely absent from the next government.
Adi Bershadsky, a member of the Ken (Koach Nashi, or Woman Power) Foundation, claims that this is a “certificate of poverty for Israeli society.”
“Israeli society is made up of 52 percent women, and that should be their representation in parliament and cabinet as well,” Bershadsky says. “If there was a law ruling that parties be made up of at least 50 percent women, then the potential for women to serve in the government would be great. There needs to be a revolution.”
What kind of revolution? Bershadsky has an idea: “There should be female leadership in a few important arenas. It’s absurd that decisions affecting women are made by men alone. Men and women are not the same. They, the men, see things completely differently and therefore decisions should be made by men and women equally.”
Far behind Cuba
Bershadsky’s suggestion is not completely unrealistic. In quite a few countries laws ascertain particular representation of women in parties and parliaments. In Israel a few bills have been proposed on the matter in the past, but none of them ever became laws. A legal amendment allotting a certain number of female representatives in parliament has never been proposed, however.
In Sweden, in comparison, over 50 percent of parliament members are women. In Norway and Sweden one can find a similar distribution. Israel ranks way down in 40th place for its number of female lawmakers, far below such countries as Cuba, Mexico, Tunisai and Cyprus.
Liora Minka, Chairperson of the Emuna Movement representing women from the National-Religious sector, defines the government’s testosterone-heavy line-up as “a colossal disgrace, a step backwards in women’s representation.”
“Israeli society is becoming more and more macho,” Minka says. “It seems we’re advancing in legislation benefiting women, but in action, things are moving backwards and it’s simply a disgrace.”
“The fact that only two women will serve in the government is entirely in opposition to the central agenda people voted for in the last elections, which is the social agenda. The failure to include women in the government is the failure to include an important part of the social agenda. The lack of women in parliament and government doesn’t attest to women’s abilities, and this is very worrying. The ruling party is Kadima (Forward), but women’s representation is taking frightening steps backward,” Minka says.
