Full Breakdown
Women on the Agenda: Election Conference Pushes for Concrete Gender Policies
By Drooid · · How we work
Conference Overview
A cross-party election conference titled “Women on the Agenda” was held in Tel Aviv by the Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO) and the Israel Women’s Network. The event, organized ahead of the scheduled October 27 election, brought together candidates, activists and researchers to press parties to translate campaign promises on women’s safety, equal pay and representation into specific laws, budgets and policy measures. The gathering followed the murder of a woman in Beersheba, which organizers cited as a stark reminder that violence against women cannot wait for political deliberation.
Survey Findings
WIZO commissioned the Roshink Research Institute to survey 600 Israeli adults in August. Respondents prioritized: reducing wage gaps and advancing women at work (40%); improving pay and conditions in care, education and welfare jobs (36%); funding a national plan to combat violence against women (32%); and preventing violence among teenagers and young adults (29%). The poll also showed that 54% expected clear party plans for advancing women, while 48% said meaningful representation of women on a party’s list mattered to them. Women currently hold roughly a quarter of Knesset seats but are far less represented in senior leadership positions across government, the civil service, the military and business.
Candidate Proposals
Candidates offered a range of concrete measures. B’Yachad’s Keren Terner pledged 50 % representation for women on corporate boards and in the civil service. Israel Beytenu’s Oded Forer advocated introducing gender quotas first in public institutions, then extending them to the private sector. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett proposed creating a dedicated police division for violence against women, repealing laws expanding rabbinical court authority and ending gender-segregated tracks in higher education, and signaled openness to appointing a woman as national security minister. Israel First leader Sharren Haskel suggested expanded electronic monitoring for repeat offenders, while Democratic MK Naama Lazimi linked women’s participation to preserving the IDF as an “army of the people.”
Official Statements & Responses
Tal Hochman, CEO of the Israel Women’s Network, reported that about 60 % of women could not identify any party leader representing their interests and demanded concrete legislative and budgetary commitments from parties. WIZO CEO Marcel Asulin warned that Israel cannot afford to lose half its talent, pointing to the drop-off of women in senior roles.
Verbatim Quotes
- “In a country fighting for its life, it is hard to get attention for issues of gender equality,” — Anita Friedman, WIZO world chair — Anita Friedman, WIZO world chair