You Haven't Come A Long Way, Baby!
A report put out by the Israel Women's Network shows a large gap between women and men in Israeli politics.
The fact that the Israeli political system tends to favor coalitions with smaller parties due to a lack of majority, and thus gives the smaller religious parties, who typically frown on the involvement of women, more power.
Also, Israel is still a very traditional society, and women are still encouraged to marry and bear children, regardless of level of religious affiliation.
Whatever the reason, I don't think Golda Meir would be proud.
In 2004 Israel was ranked 66 out of 183 countries in an international list of female parliamentary representation - after European, American and Asian countries and only surpassing African and Arab countries.
Israel has only 18 female Knesset members compared to 102 male members signifying a 15 percent representation, despite the fact that the percentage of women in the Israeli population stands at a little more than 50 percent.
The report places Israel after countries like Mexico, Pakistan and Senegal. Scandinavian countries head the list with approximately 40 percent, while Arab countries are at the bottom with about six percent.
The fact that the Israeli political system tends to favor coalitions with smaller parties due to a lack of majority, and thus gives the smaller religious parties, who typically frown on the involvement of women, more power.
Also, Israel is still a very traditional society, and women are still encouraged to marry and bear children, regardless of level of religious affiliation.
Whatever the reason, I don't think Golda Meir would be proud.
posted by orthomom at 8:37 AM
8 Comments:
All those Israeli female politicians look and sound like men anyway.
In 2004 Israel was ranked 66 out of 183 countries in an international list of female parliamentary representation - after European, American and Asian countries and only surpassing African and Arab countries.
Well what do they expect? Look at the cultural backgrounds from which Israeli society develops...
Orthomom: You should be totally proud of Israeli women for not being stupid enough to get involved in Israeli politics. You want to ruin your family? Get involved in politics.
Just goes to show you how smart Israeli women are. Good for them!
I actually don't disagree, Jameel. But just thought I would post the report. It is interesting that a country that has such a large secular population would still have such traditional values when it comes to women as political figures.
Secular values aren't progressive when it comes to chauvanism.
Just look at the army...you still have officers demanding coffee from female soldiers all the time.
You would never see behaviour like that from a religious officer.
as I see it, all the politicians in israel are corrupt
this appears to be a prerequsite to become a MK
so orthomom, as i understand this, you wanna see more israeli women become corrupt?
About Golda being proud, you only shouldn't know how she made her way, er, up the political ladder from Moetzte Poalot Tel Aviv into the Histadrut to the Sochnut Exec. and higher.
women haven't come a long way?
sure they have!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10315095/site/newsweek/
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