**************************************************************
The material posted here was provided to the Division for the 
Advancement of Women by the Government in response to a note 
verbale. It is being made available in electronic format in
the form received. In cases where it was not possible at this 
time to reproduce charts and tables supplied, these can be 
obtained by contacting the Division for the Advancement of 
Women directly.
**************************************************************

CONTINUED PROGRESS
NATIONAL REPORT ON THE
STATUS OF WOMEN IN ISRAEL

Submitted to the 41st Session of the commission
on the Status of Women of ECOSOC
March, 1997
(follow up to the fourth world conference on Women)


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Forward by the Prime Minister's Advisor on the Status of Women

The Beijing Platform for Action

     Women and Poverty

     Education and the Training of Women

     Women and Health

     Violence Against Women

     Women and Armed Conflict

     Women and the Economy

     Women in Power and Decision-Making

     Institutional Mechanisms for the Advancement of Women

     Human Rights of Women

     Women and the Media

     Women and the Environment

     The Girl Child

Forward by the Prime Minister's Advisor on the Status of Women
- Emuna Elon

This report summarizes actions taken by Israeli governmental
agencies to promote progress towards implementation of the
Beijing Platform for Action. As such, it is a follow-up to our
previous report, "A Decade of Progress-The Israeli National
Report to the Fourth World Conference on Women (1995)".

The Platform for Action is intended to lead to full
participation of women in political life and to an overall
improvement in the economic, social, political, legal, and
cultural status of women. In these pages, we present both the
continued progress and the persistent impediments to
achievement of this goal in Israel.

Despite the prevalent image of lsrael as a gender-egalitarian
society, reality is considerably more complex. The current
status of Israeli women has been shaped by a number of
historical and cultural trends. A young population with a high
reproduction rate, a high proportion of women in the work
force; a varied ethnic population including large numbers of
immigrants, some indigent; a strong emphasis on traditional
family values, and a complicated relationship between religion
and state are among the socio-political forces which
characterize Israeli society and which impact upon the status
of women.

Justifiably, Israeli women can he proud of the comprehensive
body of progressive and empowering legislation which guarantees
their equality in many areas of life; understandably, they are
concerned about social norms and cultural dictates, which lag
behind that legislation.

Israeli politics are highly factitious, deeply polarized, and
very uncertain. Yet, more than once, the women members of the
Knesset have broken party ranks and voted together for the
benefit of women. Israeli women have been remarkably able to
create women's cross-party coalitions, even in the face of
objections by the "father" parties. We are proud of this
sisterhood. Despite the other issues which divide us, as women
we are able to act concertedly to uphold our inalienable human
rights.
     l he general elections in May, 199t, brought about a
change of administration. The number of women parliamentarians
in the 120-seat Knesset was reduced from 13 to nine. In
contrast to the two women Cabinet Ministers in the last
administration, only one woman currently serves in the Cabinet.
However, for the first time, three women have been appointed as
Director-Generals of government offices. Even more
significantly, the newly-elected Prime Minister, Benjamin
Netanyahu, has pledged his commitment to the advancement of the
status of women.

In allied reports to the United Nations, many of Israel's more
than 90 NGO's will detail their important activities. In the
past, the myriad and varied activities sponsored by Israeli
women's political and grass roots organizations have been
uncoordinated, diffused, or even redundant. In response, the
Knesset Permanent Committee on the Status of Women, together
with almost all of the women's and feminist organizations in
Israel, have proposed the establishment of a Statutory
Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women. This
Authority will be responsible for the implementation of
programs, nurturance of initiatives, and follow-up of
recommendations. Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Minister of
Justice have expressed their support for this initiative.
Legislation, currently pending in the Knesset, is expected to
pass in the near future.

The overviews and summaries of achievements in this report
relate only to women who are citizens of the State of Israel,
and not to women who reside within the territories administered
by the Palestinian Authority. I am hopeful that we will soon be
able to cooperate in peace, to the benefit of ail of the women
of the region.

As the Prime Minister's Advisor in the Status of Women, it is
my duty to place issues related to the status of women on the
national agenda and to ensure that all government ministries
are actively committed to the goal of greater equality for
women. It is also my privilege to work closely with the women's
NGO's and with the Knesset Committee on the Advancement of the
Status of Women.

I pledge to continue these efforts. I am confident that
together with the many women from all walks of Israeli life who
seek to improve their lives through commitment and empowerment,
we will contribute to the creation of the just society to which
we aspire.
THE BEIJING PLATFORM FOR ACTION

A. WOMEN AND POVERTY

Strategic Objectives Mandated by the Beijing Platform for
Action:

+ Review, adopt, and maintain macroeconomic policies and
development strategies that address the needs and efforts of
women in poverty.

+ Revise laws and administrative practices to ensure women's
equal rights and access to economic resources.

+ Provide women with access to savings and credit mechanisms
and institutions.

+ Develop gender-based methodologies and conduct research to
address the feminization of poverty.

An Overview of the Situation in Israel Today

Israeli macroeconomic policies are intended to prevent poverty.
The National Insurance Institute provides unemployment
compensation or welfare allocations to unemployed persons and
income supplements to families, in accordance with the number
of children. Single parents are entitled to minimum income
guarantees, and there is no work disincentive for mothers who
are supporting children.

Moreover, the National Insurance Institute has acted to reduce
the economic dependency of women and children. As is well
known, "dead-beat dads" who refuse to pay child support
payments to their families are a major cause of the increasing
feminization of poverty. Since the early 1970's, the National
Insurance Institute has taken upon itself to make these
payments, and it is then the Institute which prosecutes the
recalcitrant fathers.

Yet, according to all criteria, poverty exists in Israel and it
is growing in both scope and depth. The percentage of Israeli
women who subsist below the poverty line is much higher than
that of men. Women are a majority amongst the unemployed and
amongst the population on welfare.

We cite here several reasons for this: A guaranteed minimal
wage, set at one-half national average wage, is considered the
first protection against poverty. However, women comprise more
than 70% of those who earn less than the average minimal wage
and whose salaries must be therefore supplemented by the
National Insurance Institute.

Furthermore, minimum wage legislation is poorly enforced, and
lacks effective and accessible remedy mechanisms because
government has not allocated adequate resources or personnel.

Over 60% of Israeli women are concentrated in a small number of
large, female-dominated, labor intensive, and low-paying
occupations, which encompass less than 25% of the range of
occupations in Israel

Women, particularly in unskilled or semi-skilled positions with
low seniority, are acutely vulnerable. Most women are hesitant
to complain or press charges. Frequently, they are not even
aware of their rights nor of the legal injustice done to them.
Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, less
than fifty women have sought redress of discrimination in the
labor courts.

Several distinct groups of women are particularly vulnerable:
Mizrachi women (that is, women born in North Africa or Western
Asia or their descendants); Arab women (Moslem, Druze,
Christian, and Bedouin) female-headed single-parent families;
recent immigrant women (especially Russian and Ethiopian); and
the elderly.

Mizrachi women are over-represented development towns, where
labor-intensive, low- and semi-skilled factory work (such as
food-production and textiles) are the only jobs available.
Wages are very low, and unemployment is a constant threat.

Arab women are doubly marginalized and have fewer educational
opportunities than Jewish women. The surfeit of unskilled Arab
women laborers (especially in the Galilee) makes it easy for
employers to exploit them and ignore their rights. A full 55%
of Arab women live below the poverty line (compared to 12% of
Arab men).

All factors affecting the poverty of women in general have an
even harsher effect upon single-parent families headed by
women. Approximately 9% of all families in Israel are
single-parent families. Twenty-three percent of single-parent
families live below the poverty line, but 85% of these are
headed by a woman.

Since its establishment in 1948, the State of Israel has made
tremendous efforts to absorb immigrants from throughout the
world; in many cases, these efforts have included dramatic
airlifts and extensive covert operations. Frequently, these
measures have been-literally-life-saving. Many new immigrants
come to Israel with few resources.

Approximately thirteen percent of the new immigrants from
Russia and the CIS are single-parent families, the overwhelming
majority of whom are headed by women. Despite efforts by the
Ministry of Absorption, they are unfamiliar with Israeli laws
and norms. Unable to find employment, poorer immigrants must
subsist on National Insurance Institute supplements; however,
these supplements are not sufficient to enable them to live in
central locations. The immigrants must therefore move to
peripheral areas, where jobs are scarce and educational
standards are lower. Thus, a pattern of unemployment and
dependence is instituted and perpetuated. Some impoverished
immigrants may soon form a new Israeli underclass.

Ethiopians are even further disadvantaged, as their previous
cultural and
economic milieu have left them ill-prepared for the industrial
and post-industrial reality of the Israeli economy.

Older women are often forced into poverty because their
pensions are lower, due to fewer years of full-time work and
less over-all pay. Until recently, women were required to
retire at age 60 (compared to age 65 for men), thus further
limiting the number of years they could earn wages and the
benefits they could later receive. Most women who work in their
homes were not covered by the National Insurance Institute,
without pension plans; this situation was redressed in late
1995.

As a result of these difficulties, recent legislation and
regulations have been aimed at reducing poverty in Israel. In
1992, the Single Parents Law was enacted, strengthening the
protection for single-parent families with low income by
increasing the level of means-tested benefits and awarding day
care and child-education grants and priority in vocational
training.

In 1994, the Law for the Reduction of Poverty and Income
Disparities was passed, providing for means-tested benefits to
the elderly and other economically-vulnerable groups. Since the
number of elderly women living in poverty is greater than the
number of men (due both to women's greater poverty and greater
longevity), the Law for the Reduction of Poverty and Income
Disparities is expected to help women even more than men.

Recently, the analysis of the contribution of women's
unremunerated work to the national economy has received public
attention, but no concrete action has been taken.

Thus, in sum, Israel's macroeconomic policies and structure
fail to take a gender and family perspective into account,
despite Israel's overtly "pro-family" social policies. There
are numerous initiatives and mezza-level programs, but women
are not yet considered as a distinct constituent group in the
economy.

Achievements Since the Beijing Conference

+ Israel has recently passed its 1997 budget. The initial
budget proposal included several measures which would have been
very detrimental to women's economic conditions, including
payments for medical visits, a decrease in universal monthly
child allotments and a cancellation of an income tax benefit
accorded to working married women. Due to the efforts of the
Knesset Social Welfare Lobby, composed of members of both the
coalition and the opposition. together with representatives of
women's and social rights NGO's, these proposals were defeated.
The coalition is expected to continue its efforts and to
monitor the implementation of the budget, in order to guarantee
that poverty in Israel does not expand in either scope or
depth.

+ In late 1995, the National Insurance Law was amended to
stipulate that all residents of Israel, including housewives,
will be eligible for old-age insurance in their own right.

+ In 1995 and 1996, the Ministry of Construction and Housing,
through its Neighborhood Rehabilitation Program, began a series
of 40-hour workshops for women who have never worked outside of
their homes. The workshops provide personal empowerment and
interpersonal skills, together with basic employment
proficiencies; upon completion of the workshop, the women are
referred for vocational assessment and counselling. Sixty-five
percent of the graduates have found permanent employment.

+ The Ministry of Construction and Housing also conducts series
of 40-hour upgrading workshops, including personal and
professional skills, information and rights, and consciousness
raising and empowerment. These workshops target women who are
already employed outside of their homes and who seek more
permanent or higher-level employment.

+ Last year, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare sponsored
a series of
subsidized, minimal-cost courses for unemployed adults, during
which they continued to receive their unemployment insurance.
Forty-five percent of the participants were women; 11% of them
Arab (Christians, Moslems, and Druze).

+ The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare sponsored a series
of courses for displaced clerical and secretarial workers,
providing them with up-to-date computer skills and other
necessary proficiencies. Almost all participants were women;
70% of them have been able to find suitable employment
subsequent to completion of the course.

+ The Ministry of Labor also conducted series of courses in
areas with high unemployment, providing information regarding
employment opportunities in each area. Seventy-five percent of
the participants were women.+ An amendment to the alimony and
child-support law is currently pending in the Knesset; this law
will determine levels of payment according to a pre-defined
formula, thus reducing judicial deliberation and expediting the
legal procedure.
B. EDUCATION AND TRAINING OF WOMENStrategic Objectives Mandated
by the Beijing Platform for Action

+ Ensure equal access to education

+ Eradicate illiteracy among women

+ Improve women's access to vocational training, science and
technology, and continuing education

+ Develop non-discriminatory education and training

+ Allocate sufficient resources for and monitor the
implementation of educational reforms

+ Promote life-long education and training for girls and women

An Overview of the Situation in Israel Today

Two sets of legislation have contributed to ensuring that women
in Israel will receive adequate education: the determination of
age seventeen as the minimum age for marriage of girls; and
legislation mandating compulsory education for all until age
16. Thus, over-all levels of illiteracy and semi-literacy in
Israel today are very low, even among minority populations, and
they are drastically lower than levels in the neighboring
countries.

Community centers, sponsored by the Ministry of Education,
provide literacy and adult education programs to both Jewish
and Arab adults.

The Ministries of Education and Labor and Welfare provide
education, training, and retraining programs for older women.
In the past, these programs were criticized by women's
organizations, who contended that they trained women for
traditionally female, unstable, low-paying, non-lucrative
positions (such as cosmetics and low-skilled clerical) and that
they therefore perpetuated
occupational and educational segregation. More recently, these
programs have included additional, less-traditional retraining
(such as computer technology, drafting, and graphics).

An extensive system of nurseries and day care centers, with
means-tested discounts, is provided by women's NGO's, the cost
of which is subsidized by the Ministry of Labor and Social
Affairs. Nearly 85% of Jewish children and 55% of Arab children
attend pre-school by age 4. Compulsory education begins at age
five.

Participation in the primary and secondary educational system
is very nearly universal. However, among non-Jewish girls,
there is a high drop-out rate from secondary education. In some
of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish secondary schools, girls are not
provided with a full curriculum. They are thus prevented from
completing their matriculation exams and are denied eligibility
for entrance to the university. (University education in
general, and for women in particular, is considered
unacceptable by the ultra-Orthodox community.)

By and large, Jewish and Arab children attend different primary
and secondary schools. Despite attempts in recent years to
further equality, tremendous differences between Arab and
Jewish schools persist with regard to public expenditures,
infrastructure, teacher-qualifications, etc. There are also
extensive discrepancies between the levels of education in the
larger cities and in the development and peripheral areas. Both
the previous and the current administrations have declared
their commitment to achieving equality between the sectors.

Despite the separate school systems, Arab children in Israeli
schools do learn about Jewish culture and tradition. Jewish
children may learn Arabic if they choose, but it is not
compulsory. The Ministry of Education sponsors coexistence
programs in which Arab and Jewish children meet.

An examination of pedagogic practice and materials reveals
extensive gender
bias. For example, in many schools, girls are discouraged from
pursuing the traditionally male-dominated fields of science and
math. This and other manifestations of gender bias are the
target of a new, innovative, and comprehensive program for
Gender Equity in Education, co-sponsored by a woman's NGO and
the Ministry of Education.

There is some indication of implicit ethnic tracking.
especially of Mizrachi girls and Ethiopian immigrants; this
perpetuates the underclass-status of many Mizrachi families and
creates a new immigrant underclass. This problem has been the
specific target of a number of women's NGO's.

In recent years, the proportion of expenditures by the Ministry
of Education has decreased significantly. This has led to
increased demands that parents pay for extracurricular
activities and, in some schools, even for materials and
programs which are nominally part of the compulsory educational
curricula. For large or poor families, these payments are a
tremendous financial burden, and often the children suffer when
the parents cannot meet the schools' financial demands.

While the overwhelming majority of teachers are women, women
are almost totally absent from the higher levels of educational
administration and management.

The numbers of women attending university has continued to
increase; at this time, nearly 50% of the students entering
institutions of higher learning are women. However, few women
hold senior faculty positions in the universities or other
institutions of higher education. Gender studies departments
exist in all the universities, but they are poorly funded and
offer few tenure positions.

It is axiomatic that the school systems both reflect and shape
the surrounding society. The previous administration had avidly
supported the inculcation of gender and ethnic equity
throughout the educational system, and the current
administration has reaffirmed this commitment.

Achievements Since the Beijing Conference
+ In 1994, the Ministry of Education adopted a pilot program
designed by a woman's NGO to eliminate gender-bias in formal
education. This program, the first of its kind in the country,
emphasizes gender equality throughout the entire educational
system, in all subjects, through the use of appropriate
techniques and training and the elimination of sexist and
stereotypic teaching materials. The program also includes a
course in gender equality for all teachers, as well as
on-going-in-service teacher training

+ In September, 1996, the program was implemented in five
primary schools around the country.

+ The position of Supervisor of Gender Equality in the Ministry
of Education has been reconfirmed. It is the Supervisor's
responsibility to monitor textbooks and other teaching
materials and to serve as an ombudsman.

+ The Ministry of Education had submitted a plan calling for
mandatory pre-school education and a longer school day to the
government. (Currently, compulsory education begins at age five
and the elementary school day ends in the early afternoon.)
However, due to the extensive budget cuts, this plan will not
be implemented in the next three years, with the exception of
several depressed, development locations.+ During 1996, the
Ministry of Education sponsored approximately 15 InService
Training programs for teachers, principals, and other education
professionals.

+ The Supervisor of Gender Equality in the Ministry of
Education has prepared a text and guide for teachers regarding
gender equality in education. It was distributed to all schools
in the country. The Supervisor has also produced a video on the
needs of working parents, in order: to heighten teachers' and
principals' sensitivity and awareness.+ In 1997, a self-guiding
kit on gender equality will be distributed to kindergarten
teachers throughout the country.

C. WOMEN AND HEALTH

Strategic Objectives Mandated by the Beijing Platform for
Action

+ Increase women's access throughout the life cycle to
appropriate, affordable, and quality health care, information.
and related services.

+ Strengthen preventive programs that promote women's health.

+ Undertake gender-sensitive initiatives that address sexually
transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, and sexual and reproductive
health issues.

+ Promote research and disseminate information on women's
health

+ Increase resources and monitor follow-up for women's health.

An Overview of the Situation in Israel Today

The National Health Law ensures health insurance, based on
progressive payments, to all Israeli citizens.

Israel has an extensive system of primary and secondary health
care and adequate medical facilities are available in
peripheral as well as central areas. Coverage is comprehensive
and inclusive, including, for example, pregnancy and
childbirth; termination of pregnancy (under stipulated
conditions-see below); chronic mental and physical
disabilities; and acute and chronic hospitalization and
treatment. Inoculations against 40 diseases are covered by
insurance and administered almost universally. All drugs
distributed by pharmacies and physicians in Israel have passed
standard testing procedures.

However, very little attention is paid to prevention,
education, encouragement of healthy behaviors, and other
actions to minimize health risks and disease, especially in the
area of reproductive health and contraception. This is
especially true among the indigenous minority populations.
While some schools do offer programs in family planning and
contraceptive education, this is not universal. The Israel
Defence Forces do provide such programs to both male and female
conscripts.

By law, a woman is entitled to make the decision to terminate a
pregnancy, and she need not consult with-nor does she need the
consent of any other individual. Minors do not need the consent
of a guardian. Abortion is available at the approval of a
committee, which is convened only at the woman's request. The
committee is empowered to grant this request in four specified
circumstances, including: the woman's age (women under 17 or
over 40 are automatically granted the right to terminate the
pregnancy); jeopardy to the life or welfare of the woman;
pregnancy which results from rape, incest, or extra-marital
relations; and when congenital defects in the fetus have been
detected.

With regard to jeopardy to life or welfare of the mother,
empirical evidence shows that the authorities are cognizant of
the psychological damage which can ensue as a result of forcing
a woman to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. It should be
noted that successful illegal abortions, which are widely
performed, are rarely prosecuted.

In a recent precedent-setting decision by the High Court of
Justice, a woman was granted the right to use fertilized eggs.
despite objections on the part of her estranged husband.

Israeli women's life expectancy has increased over the last
twenty years from 73.4 to 77.4 years. However Israel is still
seventeenth overall among industrialized nation's for women's
life expectancy. while it is second overall for men's.

Furthermore, women's longer life-expectancy is frequently
accompanied by chronic disease, such as diabetes, hypertension.
stroke, and osteoporosis. Public
policy has yet to consider alternatives to residential care for
the elderly.

Obstetric and gynecological services are available and covered,
but contraceptive materials must be paid for out-of-pocket.
Public pre-natal and post-partum services are widely available,
as is an extensive and universal system of well-baby clinics.

.Medical practice still exhibits discriminatory attitudes
towards women's health. As a result, for example, heart attack
is the primary cause of death of women in Israel, largely
because physicians tend not to relate seriously to women's
complaints of chest pains or heart problems.

Advertising of tobacco is restricted and there are numerous
private programs for cessation of smoking. The Israel Cancer
Association sponsors a yearly media campaign against tobacco
and other substance use.

Substance abuse programs are in place throughout the country,
and there are some publicly-sponsored campaigns against smoking
and alcohol abuse. However, with the influx of immigrants from
the CIS, among whom there is a high rate of alcoholism, the
current level of services may no longer be adequate.

Statistics reveal that Israeli women use health services, visit
doctors, and are hospitalized more frequently than men. Yet the
voice of Israeli women as consumers of health services is
rarely heard. Medical research, training, and practice have
traditionally been guided by a male model, with little
attention given to gender differences associated with illness
and health, life-styles, and a host of factors that appear to
make women more vulnerable than men to illness.

The number of women entering medical schools continues to rise;
at this time, approximately 50% of the medical students are
women. However, most women continue to concentrate their
studies in the "less prestigious" medical specialties, such as
family practice and psychiatry. Some medical schools have
instituted gender sensitivity training, but this is not routine
and not mandated by the Council which determines the curricula
of medical students.
As a country of immigrants, Israel constitutes an excellent
laboratory for epidemiological research; however, current
research has failed to address the underlying causes of gender
differences in morbidity and mortality patterns, and their
relationship to other variables.

Israel has ratified CEDAW as well as other international
treaties on the rights of women and girls to health care. Yet
decisions regarding health care policy and resource-allocation
are often the result of cultural norms and political pressure,
rather than rational professional criteria. For example, the
cultural emphasis on childbearing has lead to disproportionate
allocation of resources to highly-technological fertility
services at the expense of health maintenance throughout the
reproductive cycle, which should include, inter alia, family
planning and education, availability of services for
pregnancy-termination, and services for the post-reproductive
period.

Several women's NGO's have begun to address these issues.
However, until recently, there has not been any government
attempt to coordinate these many efforts.

Achievements Since the Beijing Conference

+ The Ministry of Health has established a Steering Committee,
composed of professionals and representatives of women's
organizations, regarding women's health needs. This committee
will also endeavor to coordinate the many efforts to advance
the status of women's health in Israel.+ The Ministry of Health
has hired a woman researcher at the National Center for Disease
Control, who will coordinate and de-aggregate data on women s
health.+ The Ministry has agreed to a demand by women's NGO's
to produce and distribute information and data on women's
health in Israel (within the framework of the International
Center for Disease Control.)

D. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Strategic Objectives Mandated by the Beijing Platform for
Action

+ Take integrated measures to prevent and eliminate violence
against women.

+ Study the causes and consequences of violence against women
and the effectiveness of preventive measures.+ Eliminate
trafficking in women and assist victims of violence due to
prostitution and trafficking.

An Overview of the Situation in Israel Today

Tremendous progress has been made in legislation regarding
violence against women over the last five years. Today Israeli
women benefit from comprehensive, progressive, feminist
legislation, according to which a woman may, for example,
obtain a protective order removing the violent man from the
home, ex parte and without representation by an attorney.
Should the man violate this order, he will be in contempt of
court, which carries criminal implications. Marital rape is
recognized as a criminal offense. Additional regulations
address issues such as police protocol in handling domestic
violence, and the provision of shelters, legal assistance, and
other services to victims.

However, the influence of traditional Jewish and Muslim
religious structures cannot be underestimated in an
understanding of the development of social attitudes and norms
regarding gender equality and family relations. While the
official rabbinical attitude toward domestic violence is one of
absolute condemnation, women's advocates contend that the
current rabbinic interpretation of traditional Judaism has
created an environment in which domestic violence may be
tolerated. Since 1992, women's NGO's have been
actively working with the rabbinical authorities to change
this, and they attest that progress has been made towards a
reduction of this bias.

Among Muslims, the practice of "family honor killings"
continues. The law views these killings as murder and
prosecutes accordingly. However, members of the community, men
and women alike, frequently collude to protect the murderer,
and "family honor killings" may be reported as suicides,
accidents, or disappearances. Jewish and Arab women's NGO's
have organized and publicly demonstrated against this
phenomenon.

Protection from violence is provided at 10 shelters for
battered women, located throughout the country. The Ministry of
Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare covers 75% of the cost of
these shelters, and the additional 25% is provided by women's
volunteer organizations. Last year, a shelter was established
in the Arab sector, in recognition of the particular needs of
Arab women; the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare covers
100% of the operating costs of this shelter.

The shelters provide professional counselling, legal advice and
assistance, and child care and rehabilitation, as well as
half-way houses. Several shelters do have multi-lingual staff
and volunteers, although there are no shelters designed
specifically for immigrant women, There are ten emergency phone
lines for battered women throughout the country; one of these
is designated for Arab women, while Russian and Amharric
speakers are available on most of the others. Callers receive
advice and information from trained volunteers.

Police currently receive special training for working with
family violence. While the former (unofficial) policy of the
police was the establishment of "domestic peace", through the
mediation of familial disputes, police policy now dictates that
domestic violence be treated as a violent cime and that the
victim be protected. Furthermore, the police may continue to
investigate a complaint of violence even if the woman withdraws
the complaint; the police also have the prerogative of filing a
report even if the abused woman declines to do so. Women's
organizations report that in most cases, cooperation with the
police is effective. However, as in many countries, the
majority of abused women do not
file complaints with the police.

There are 19 Centers for the Prevention of Violence in the
family, located throughout the country These Centers are
jointly funded and administered by the Ministry of Labor and
.Social Affairs, the women's organizations, and the local
authorities. The Centers provide direct treatment; visiting
centers where parents and children who have been separated can
meet; legal advice; and research and information.

Women s organizations, together with the Ministry of Education,
have begun to implement programs in secondary schools t~.)
encourage egalitarian, non-violent relationships among Israeli
youth . The Israel Defense Forces also conduct similar programs
for their male and female conscripts, with a particular
emphasis on sexual harassment.

There are eight rape crisis centers in Israel; these centers
also maintain hotlines and provide educational services. Public
support for the rape crisis centers is less than ten percent of
the total operating costs, and the remainder is provided by
donations and contributions. The Centers report that police
directives are meant to provide sensitive and effective care
for the victim; however, the implementation of these directives
is not uniform throughout the country.

With the influx of immigrants from the former Soviet Union,
there has been a rise in the number of young Russian women who
are brought to Israel for prostitution. The media have brought
this problem to the attention of the public and the criminal
justice system. Penal codes prohibit direct or indirect
procurement of income from prostitution.

The Equal Opportunity in Employment Law prohibits an employer
from discriminating against a female employee in hiring,
promotion, training, dismissal, and severance pay due to her
objection to sexual harassment on the part of her employer or
supervisor. As noted below, the definition, procedures, and
punishments for sexual harassment have been made clearer and
more severe in the Civil Service Corps.
Violence against women has received increased attention from
the media and the public. Recently, an organization entitled
Men Against Violence has been established and works in close
cooperation with women's organization. It would appear that
social norms and expectations are beginning to change. However,
the judiciary continues to act prejudicially against women
victims, and sentences against offenders are often light or
even suspended.

Achievements Since the Beijing Conference

+ In September, 1996, the Prime Minister allocated NIS 3
million, in order to create a media campaign against violence
against women (this was one of the recommendations of the
above-described commission).

+ In March, 1995, the Knesset appointed a Parliamentary
Commission of Inquiry to investigate the subject of women
murdered by their spouses or life partners. The committee
further broadened its mandate to investigate the subject of
domestic violence against women, and presented its conclusions
and recommendations in June, 1996. This comprehensive report
analyzed the causes of domestic violence, the adequacy and
efficacy of existing services, and the gaps in
service-provision, and presented comprehensive, integrated and
binding recommendations to each of the relevant Ministries.

+ Due to the public outcry at the light sentences imposed on
abusive men, legislation mandating minimum sentencing has been
proposed in the Knesset. Both the Prime Minister and the
Minister of Justice have expressed support for this law, and it
is guaranteed a majority in the legislature.

+ In September, 1996 the Ministry of Justice, together with the
women's NGO's, and with the cooperation of the Israel Police,
began a pilot program of Victim-Witness Assistance to survivors
of rape, the program will be implemented in two counties; if
successful, it will be adopted and implemented by the Ministry
of Justice.

+ The Family Courts Law (1995) will simplify access to legal
recourse for wt)men on family matters, including violence
against women, by combining all of these
issues (e.g. property and paternity issues, child custody,
child support and adoption issues) in one court

+ In 1995, the Knesset passed a more stringent definition of
sexual harassment in the Public Services Law Book, including
the establishment of a special commission within the Civil
Service dealing with those who transgress the law and
authorization to punishment. (However, this does not provide
protection for the private sector.)

+ The National Health Law now covers any and all medical
expenses incurred as a result of sexual or physical abuse to
women.

+ A recent amendment to the penal code has recognized the
Battered Women's Syndrome, acknowledging the right of a
battered woman to defend herself against her attacker and
effectively broadening the definition of "self defense" to
include a woman's perspective.

+ The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare has established ten
half-way houses for battered women, and an additional ten are
planned for 1997.

+ During 1997, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare,
together with the Joint Distribution Committee will undertake a
comprehensive research project to determine the extent,
characteristics, existing solutions and alternatives with
regard to wife abuse

+ Cognizant of the particular needs of Arab women, the Israel
police have begun to implement a program to hire Arab
policewomen.

+ In 1996, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare raised its
level of funding of shelters for battered women from 50% to the
current 75%.

+ Plans for the establishment of a shelter for violent men are
expected to be implemented in the near future by the Ministry
of Labor and Social Welfare and NGO's. (Discussions with the
judiciary have indicated that judges will be more inclined to
impose restraining orders and restrictions if they know that
men have an alternative to returning to their homes.)

E. WOMEN AND ARMED CONFLICT

Strategic Objectives Mandated by the Beijing Platform for
Action:

+ Increase the participation of women in conflict resolution at
decision-making levels and protect women living in situations
of armed and other conflicts or under foreign occupation.

+ Reduce excessive military expenditures and control the
availability of armaments.

+ Promote non-violent forms of conflict resolution and reduce
the incidence of human rights abuse in conflict situations

+ Promote women's contribution to fostering a culture of peace

+ Provide protection, assistance, and training to refugee
women, other displaced women in need of international
protection, and internally displaced women.

An Overview of the Situation in Israel Today

The issue of armed conflict, military policy and spending is an
extremely important one for Israel. At this point in the
nation's history, given the geo-political realities in the
Mid-East, it is unlikely that military spending will decrease
significantly in the near future. Until the Israeli public and
policy-makers feel that true peace and public safety have been
established, military resources will in all likelihood not be
converted to social programs and economic development, nor will
the priority De on alternate uses for the resources.

Indiscriminate terrorism continues plague Israeli society, a
source of fear for all. The Israeli government and NGO's have
repeatedly expressed outrage and condemnation of acts of
terrorism perpetrated within Israel's borders and abroad and
have called upon other nations to do the same. Because these
attacks take place in cities and towns, on busses and in
shopping centers, women and children are the primary targets
and victims.

The military thus remains a central institution in Israeli
society. Since Israel maintains near-universal conscription,
military service is a right of passage and a source of
legitimacy and status in adult life. Israel is the only Western
democracy with compulsory conscription for women, but women are
restricted from combat. However, fewer women than men are
conscripted and, by law, women are conscripted for shorter
periods of time. At this time, 69% of women in the Israel
Defense Forces (IDF) serve in professional positions, which
require formal training, while a full 31% serve in secretarial
jobs, which neither require nor impart professional skills of
any kind.

Roles in armed conflicts and peace negotiations are predicated
on service and experience in the Israel Defense Forces. Thus,
the limitations of women's military service severely restrict
women's overall power and influence in the military and in
foreign policy-making.

In an institution predicated on hierarchy and power, in which
women play an inferior role, it is not surprising to find
incidents of sexual harassment and abuse. Recent anecdotal
reports have indicated that this may be a more frequent
occurrence than was previously assumed.

Not one lsraeli representative to the negotiations with the
Palestinians has been a women, despite the fact that women were
very active in the informal, "Track II" contacts which predated
the Oslo accords. Only four women serve as Israeli ambassadors
or consuls general worldwide. Thus, enhancing the status of
women within the army also means promoting greater equality for
women in civilian society.

Achievements Since the Beijing Conference

+ In a suit brought before the Supreme Court of Justice by two
NGO's, the Israell Air Force was instructed to permit a woman
to complete the entrance exams for combat pilot instruction.
Subsequent to this decision, the air force reviewed its
admission procedures and has since enabled all women who meet
the initial requirements to complete the entrance exams.

+ Cognizant of the important socialization and
social-legitimization functions of the Army, the Commander in
Chief of the Women's Corp has delineated four goals to increase
women's equality within the armed forces: full use of the
potential of female recruits; activities to eliminate sexual
harassment (including more stringent regulations);
reorganization of the Women's Corps; and elimination of
irrelevant differences between male and female soldiers which,
until now, have been part of the regulations defining service
in the Israel Defense Forces.

+ The Israel Defense Forces have instituted a program of
empowerment and awareness among male and female conscripts,
with regard to sexual harassment and egalitarian relationships.
Senior training and education officers in the military have
developed a positive relationship with the Knesset Committee on
the Status of Women and with women's voluntary organizations.

+ In this regard, the Israel Defense Forces have agreed to
conduct a formal survey of sexual harassment and violence among
soldiers. As noted, punishments for sexual aggression against
women soldiers have recently been made more severe, and
conviction of such an offense leads to immediate, dishonorable
discharge in addition to other sentencing. As part of this
effort, the Israel Defense Forces have also established a
hotline against sexual harassment.

+ The Israel Defense Forces are currently considering
structural changes which would lead to a more positive, less
segregated, integration on women into the army.

+ The Foreign Ministry has instituted a program to actively
recruit women into the Foreign Service.

F. WOMEN AND THE ECONOMY

Strategic Objectives Mandated by the Beijing Platform for
Action

+ Promote women's economic rights and independence, including
access to employment, appropriate working conditions, and
control over economic resources.

+ Facilitate women's equal access to resources, employment,
markets, and trade.

+ Provide business services, training and access to markets,
information and technology, particularly to low-income women.

+ Strengthen women's economic capacity and commercial networks.

+ Eliminate occupational segregation and all forms of
employment discrimination.

+ Promote harmonization of work and family responsibilities for
women and men.

An Overview of the Situation in Israel Today

The status of working women in Israel is a complex blend of
progressive labor legislation, conflicting social norms, and
overt and covert discrimination.

Initial labor law provisions relating to women were founded on
a conflicting combination of a belief that everyone should be
engaged in productive, remunerated labor, and a social
commitment to the development of the traditional family (in
which women carry primary responsibility for the household and
for childcare). A strong legal and social infrastructure was
created to ensure that women would be able to integrate work
and
homemaking.

Many of these protective measures continue to be of great
practical value in facilitating the integration of motherhood
with participation in the recognized labor market. However,
this policy has not involved a concomitant commitment to
providing women with equal opportunity for better-paying jobs
and for advancement; furthermore, the protective legislation
has, in many instances, ensconced women even further in the
role of homemaker

The Knesset introduced The Women's Work Law, guaranteeing
women's right to equal opportunity in employment, in 1953; an
equal-pay law was passed in 1964. In the 1970's labor courts
expressly recognized the principle of a legal right to equal
employment opportunity between the sexes. Since the late 198()
s, the Knesset has actively intervened to establish, or
reestablish, rights to equal employment opportunity. In 1987,
the Knesset passed the Equal Retirement Age for Male and Female
Employees. In 1988 it passed the Equal Employment Opportunities
Act, with wide-ranging prohibitions on discrimination in
employment; this law also recognized sexual harassment as a
form of punishable discrimination by awarding civil damages to
the victim.

In 1988, maternal rights were converted to parental rights. In
1990, the High Court of Justice confirmed that there is a basic
right to equal employment, and in 1994, it recognized the
principle of affirmative action.

Thus, the Knesset and the labor courts have begun to lay the
legal foundation for women's equality in employment; however,
the mechanisms for enforcement are inadequately funded and
ineffective. No less importantly, legislation has preceded
social and normative change.

Women constitute 42% of the civilian working force; 89% of them
are employees. Despite the above-cited legislation mandating
equal pay for equal work, the wage gap between men and women
for full-time, year round employment is, on the average, over
30%. Furthermore, this gap actually has
grown since 1980. Women comprise nearly 70% of those who earn
less than the average wage and whose salaries must therefore be
supplemented by the National Insurance Institute.

The unemployment rate for women is approximately one third
higher than for men.

Although there are six times as many female managers today than
there were in 1975, the increase in managerial employment is
insignificant: Women constitute 41% of the workforce, but only
17.5 percent of managers. Of these, 74% are concentrated in
commerce and public services. Thus, even at the managerial
level, women are segregated into the lower-paying sectors.

In 1994, a committee to encourage women to establish small
business was established as part of the Small Business
Authority (which is part of the Ministry of Commerce and
Industry). The activities of this committee are predicated on
the belief that small business can serve as a viable means for
women to improve their personal, financial, and social status,
and to contribute to the economy. A recent survey has indicated
that only 5.3% of all women in the labor force are
independently employed, in contrast to 17.6% of the men.
Furthermore, only 1.2% of the women employ others, while 7.2%
of the men do so. The committee has especially targeted the
Arab population. as well as the Jewish population residing in
the peripheries. The activities of this committee are
predicated on the belief that small business can serve as a
viable means for women to improve their personal. financial,
and social status, and to contribute to the economy.

The rights of women with regard to pregnancy, child birth, and
child care are regulated by law, which prohibits dismissal of a
pregnant employee and also grants the women the right to twelve
weeks of maternity leave, with full pay from the National
Insurance Institute. Maternity leave can be extended up to one
year, unpaid, and taken by either parent. Employees may not be
dismissed during maternity or extended maternity leave. All
rights related to birth parents apply to adoptive parents.
Parents may use their personal sick leave time to care
for ill children.

Child care is the legal obligation of both parents, and
desertion is a criminal offense. However, behavioral norms
place the responsibility of childcare almost exclusively upon
the shoulders of women. Regardless of the fact that more and
more women have joined the workforce and that two incomes are a
financial necessity for most Israeli families, women have not
been relieved of any significant part of the role of care for
home and children.

Institutional frameworks have only partially taken this reality
into account. Several women's NGO's provide day care and
nurseries for working women; these facilities are partially
subsidized by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.
However, a short school day and numerous long vacations
militate against paid working among mothers.

The Ministry is currently involved in efforts to lengthen the
school day and to begin compulsory education for children at an
earlier age, (Currently, mandatory education begins at age
five, while NGO's and the Ministry advocate age three). These
measures would make it easier for parents with child care
responsibilities to combine family and remunerated work.
However, as noted, this plan has been postponed for at least
three years, due to the extensive budget cuts.

Women and men have freedom to organize and join labor unions,
as well as freedom to protest and strike. However, proactive
protection of employees on the part of government has yet to be
implemented.

In 1993, a team was set up by the Ministry of Economics and
Planning to recommend means for implementing a previous
committee's recommendations for the advancement of women in the
Civil Service. Most of the team's proposals were in fact
adopted.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has a section for the
employment of women, which has statutory supervisory powers on
the issue of equal opportunities for women in work, including
criminal prosecutions in cases of violation of laws relating to
equal opportunity employment and/or maternity and paternity
rights. Three ministries have advisors on the status of women,
while in all ministries, someone is responsible for status of
women.

Achievements Since the Beijing Conference

+ The Ministry of Construction and Housing and the Joint
Distribution Committee, Israel, prepared and co-sponsored a
6-stage model for encouraging women to open small business. The
model was implemented in 12 low-income neighborhoods and
development towns. 284 women participated in the four-month
course which provided practical information, business knowledge
and empowerment skills. Upon completion of the course, the
participants formed a women's business network. This year, the
plan will be conducted in an additional 12 neighborhoods.

+ Legislation mandating the integration of supplementary
benefits (e.g., travel and clothing allowances ) into salary
was passed during 1996. This legislation is intended to
eliminate gender discrimination and to correct wage gaps which
have persisted despite equal-pay legislation.

+ In 1995, the level of maternity leave benefits was raised
from 75% to 100% of the woman's salary. (These benefits are
paid by the National Insurance Institute).

+ In 1996, an amendment to the Civil Service Law was passed,
mandating equal and fair representation to both sexes and
expressly citing affirmative action as a remedy for inequality.
An operative plan was approved in March, 1996.

+ The Civil Service sponsored a course for advisors on the
status of women in government ministries. The course, which
entailed 300 study hours, included a wide variety of topics
relating to the status of women. The course is a required
qualification for appointment to the position of Advisor on the
Status of Women in a government ministry.

+ The Small Business Authority, the Jewish Agency, and the
Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in cooperation with Israeli
women's NGO's, have established Businesswomen's Clubs in nearly
20 communities in all sectors of Israeli society, including the
Arab and the ultra-Orthodox sectors. These institutions have
also sponsored courses for small businesswomen and
entrepreneurs.

+ The Small Business Authority has committed itself to prepare
a plan for the establishment of a loan fund for the
establishment of small businesses l-)y women.

+ In 1996, the Ministry of Labor and Welfare, the Department of
Women's Employment, established a unit for the advancement of
women, specifically dedicated to the development of models for
several types of empowerment workshops, including courses for
Arab and Bedouin women.

+ In 1996, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare sponsored
six day-long, pre-discharge meetings for women soldiers with
appropriate educational levels to encourage them to purse
subsidized, post-secondary studies in computer technology or
electronics.

G. WOMEN IN POWER AND DECISION-MAKING

Strategic Objectives Mandated by the Beijing Platform for
Action

+ Take measures to ensure women's equal access to and full
participation in power structures and decision-making.

+ Increase women's capacity to participate in decision-making
and leadership.

An Overview of the Situation in Israel Today

There are no legislative or official proscriptions on women's
participation in politics. There are, however, numerous
practical and normative obstacles.

Israel's widespread reputation as a gender-egalitarian country
derives primarily from historic factors. The reality, then as
now, is considerably different from the ideal image that many
still hold. Women's status in the legal, social, economic, and
political spheres is unequal and inferior in many aspects.

The Declaration of Independence established the principle of
equality for all citizens of Israel; however, the Declaration
does not have binding legal status. The Law of Equal Rights for
Women, passed in 1951, guarantees equality between the sexes,
except on issues of personal status (marriage and divorce),
which are the sole province of the religious courts. Thus, the
Israeli legal system reflects a basic conflict between
commitment to equality and to commitment to the religious and
Jewish character of the state.

Jewish tradition accords respect to both sexes, but it also
clearly defines and delegates the public sphere to men and the
private sphere to women. The influence of this tradition
spreads well beyond the religiously-observant community to the
,general society. These views also predominate in Arab society,
both Christian and Islamic.
Although women's human capital, as reflected in seniority and
education, is not inferior to men's, women receive relatively
less reward for this capital. The gap in wages, despite
legislation mandating equal pay for equal work, reaches 32% in
the public sector, due to unequal allocation of benefits.
Despite the nearly-universal necessity of two incomes, a
women's salary is frequently considered to be a "second
income". As in most industrialized countries, women are
concentrated in a small number of female-dominated occupations.
which are less prestigious and less-well remunerated.

Only a handful of women attain top posts in management, whether
in industry, government or academe. For example, only 5% of
Israeli professors are women, although women constitute 40% of
the non-tenured faculty members. Only 2% of women serve in
positions of senior management and/or on directorates of large
companies.

Women are grossly under-represented in political positions,
both national and municipal. The classic pyramid-like structure
of women's socio-political involvement predominates in Israel.

As noted above, the general elections in May, 1996, brought
about a change of administration. The number of women
parliamentarians in the 120-seat Knesset was reduced from 13 to
nine. In contrast to the two women Cabinet Ministers in the
last administration, only one woman currently serves in the
Cabinet. However, for the first time, three women have been
appointed as Director-Generals of government offices.

In the past, most women Members of Knesset dealt primarily with
"women's issues" (such as social welfare and education), and
refrained from participating in issues of security and foreign
affairs. This pattern has begun to change.

Of the nearly 17,000 candidates for the most-recent municipal
elections, only 493 were women. Women totalled approximately
7.3% of those elected; only one of the ten women candidates for
mayoralty was elected. On the municipal
and local council level, over 50 councils on the status of
women exist in the Jewish sector and some 25 in the Arab
sector. A statutory committee for the advancement of the status
of women exists within the Center for Local Government, and an
Advisor on the Status of Women is now employed by the center.

The pattern of under-representation is also evident within the
political parties. Despite the fact the women are active
members of all the various parties, they are almost entirely
absent from the decision-making bodies of those parties. Not
one of the major parties has agreed to reasonable quotas or
affirmative action for women; often, in pre-coalition and
coalition negotiations, the few places promised to women are
"traded away".

Inequities stemming from military service are another major
obstacle for women in local politics: Men who have completed
successful careers in the defense forces are required to retire
in their mid-forties. The "old boys' network established and
nurtured in the military frequently provides them with access
to positions in socio-political or economic institutions,
including municipal government.

Three women currently sit on the Supreme Court. However, half
of the nation s magistrate judges are women, so it is hopeful
that more women will be appointed to the Supreme Court in the
future.

Women's under-representation at all senior levels of
involvement and decision making is self-perpetuating. Where
women do not constitute a critical mass, they do not .and
cannot promote other women.

Achievements Since the Beijing Conference

+ The local women's councils for the advancement of women have
sponsored numerous activities for women, including a Passover
"Sedar" for single-parent families; the establishment of a
hotline for information on breast cancer; a Breast Cancer
Awareness Day, which included free examinations; and recorded
telephone messages which provided information regarding
municipal services for women.

+ A joint forum between the Union of Local Authorities and a
majority of women's organizations has been established to
encourage women's candidacies for mayor and deputy mayor and to
demand that women constitute one-third of all party lists.

+ This forum has also called for passage of legislation which
would mandate that each and every local council have a Women's
Council and/or an Advisor to the Mayor on the Status of Women,
and that these positions be jointly funded by the Local
Councils and the Ministry of Interior.

H. INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN

Strategic Objectives Mandated by the Beijing Platform for
Action

+ Create or strengthen national machineries and other
government bodies

+ Integrate gender perspectives in legislation, public
policies, programs, and projects

+ Generate and disseminate gender-disaggregated data and
information for planning and evaluation.

An Overview of the Situation in Israel Today

Formal mechanisms for the advancement of women have been
established at the highest levels of government. Both the Prime
Minister's Office and the Knesset have developed apparati to
systematically improve the status of women. However, the
position of Advisor to the Prime Minister on the Status of
Women is not mandated by law, and its appointment is at the
Prime Minister's discretion.

The primary responsibilities of the office include: preparation
of proposals on government legislation, administration, and
policy, participation in government deliberations and issues
affecting women, handling of complaints of discrimination and
deprivation, collection of information from other government
entities regarding women's status.

The Knesset also has a Statutory Committee for the Advancement
of the Status of Women.

Specific Actions and Achievements Since the Beijing Conference

+ Proposed legislation would mandate and authorize the creation
of an Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women.
This Authority's responsibilities would include the legislative
and programmatic protection of women's rights, monitoring of
enforcement of laws through government and in the private
sector, coordinating efforts to promote women's rights among
all levels of government, providing recourse institutions where
human rights abuses have occurred, and generally addressing the
human rights of women in all spheres, including education,
employment, personal safety, and political representation.

This would be a more comprehensive body than the already
established Prime Minister's Advisor on the Status of Women. As
noted, both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice have
expressed their support for this legislation.

+ The Civil Service has established a commission for the
Advancement and Integration of Women.

+ The Civil Service Commission has mandated that gender-neutral
language be used in all governmental tenders and publications.

I. THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN

Strategic Objectives Mandated by the Beijing Platform for
Action

+ Promote and protect the human rights of women, through the
full implementation of all human rights instruments, especially
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)

+ Ensure equality and non-discrimination under the law and in
practice

+ Achieve legal literacy

An Overview of the Situation in Israel Today

Human rights are addressed in the Declaration of Independence
and other government documents.

Israel has ratified the CEDAW and International Treaty for
Civil and Political Rights and the International Treaty for
Social and Cultural Rights. However, the ratification of CEDAW
included reservations to Section 7, stemming from the fact that
women cannot he appointed as religious judges, because they
cannot be ordained as rabbis. Israel also expressed
reservations to Section 16, as all issues regarding marriage
and divorce are the province of the religious courts, w here
there is no equality for women (in any religion in Israel).

An analysis of the human rights and status of women in Israel
must therefore address the influence of the religious community
on public-policy making, politics, and social structure on all
levels. As noted above, this is most evident in the standing of
women before religious courts. While distribution of marital
property, custody of children, and issues of spousal and child
maintenance can be discussed in either civil courts, where
women's status is equal, or rabbinical courts, where women's
status is inferior, marriage and divorce are the sole province
of the religious courts. (This does not, however, preclude
women attorneys from appearing before religious courts.)

This situation leads to numerous restrictions on women's power
over their own marital status, and has wide implications for
their human rights. However, surveys repeatedly reveal that a
majority of the Israeli public does not want to repeal the
religious statutes. Therefore, the challenge facing Israeli
society is to create culturally-syntonic solutions which will
neither offend the traditional-orientation of the Israeli
public nor deprive women of their human rights.

We do note that in the past few years, the Director General of
the Rabbinical Courts has met regularly with a coalition of
women's NGO's, in an attempt to reach more equitable solutions
for women.

Under Israeli law, there are few, if any, constraints or
discrimination directed against women. Legally, women can own,
inherit and bequeath real property equally; similarly, women
may receive bank credit equally with men. (In fact, in many
sectors of the Israeli population, it is common practice to
register domestic housing units and even businesses in the name
of both husband and wife.)

Achievements Since the Beijing Conference

+ The Rabbinic Courts have agreed, in principle, to recommend
that couples sign pre-nuptial agreements. These agreements will
have binding religious implications, as well as civil validity.
(However, no such arrangements have been prepared for Moslem or
Druze women.)

+ The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare has prepared
booklets in Arabic and Russian, explaining the rights of women,
particularly (but not solely), with regard to violence and
victimization.

J. WOMEN AND THE MEDIA

Strategic Objectives Mandated by the Beijing Platform for
Action

+ Increase the participation and access of women to expression
and decision-making in and through the media and new
technologies of communication.

+ Promote a balanced and non-stereotyped portrayal of women in
the media.

An Overview of the Situation in Israel Today

Freedom of the press is legislatively guaranteed and protected,
although issues relating to security must be submitted to
censorship. The media is thus also free to reflect widespread
prejudices, preconceptions and inequalities with regard to
women. Examinations of Israeli media, both print and
electronic, reveal negative, stereotypic portrayals of women,
the absence of women as expert consultants and authority
figures, and the use of violence and quasi, soft-porn in
commercials. Furthermore, women are conspicuously absent from
decision-making and policy formulating agencies.

Surveys of the electronic media reveal that women are simply
absent from the scene; for example, only 14.4% of adults
appearing on TV are women. Furthermore, women are most
frequently portrayed in unequal and degrading positions; in
interviews and discussions, for example, they are referred to
by their first names and described in a familial or dependent
context, while men are referred to in their professional
capacities and addressed by their professional titles.

In the print media, women's issues are often portrayed as
marginal, tangential, or frivolous. They are considered, at
best, "soft news", while feminism and innovative reformative
ideas are often ignored.

On camera or on-the-air female reporters are largely limited to
non-prime time or to "soft" news stories. Coverage of
international affairs and politics is still primarily the
domain of male reporters, although there are a few notable
recent exceptions. Many media managers believe that the public
prefers to hear or see a man report a story of national
urgency.

Advertising in the print and electronic media is replete with
stereotypical and sexist images of women, and despite
self-imposed and legal restrictions. advertisements often
include "soft porn", and implied violence. However, public
awareness of this injustice seems to be growing: In several
instances, public outcry at particularly heinous advertisements
led to their removal.

Women's associations have used every effort in trying to place
women on the committees which oversee cable television.
However, the political character of such appointments did not
favor the appointment of women.

The majority of women who work in the news media occupy
administrative or lower and middle management positions. Not
one of the major television, radio, or newspaper organizations
in the country is headed by a woman, although women comprise
almost all of the lower-paid research and support staff in
these organizations.

The Commission on the Status of Women in Radio and Television
within the Israel Broadcasting Authority actively promotes the
participation of women at all levels of media. It is also
working to increase the number of women in the Israel
Broadcasting Association and the visibility of women as experts
and professionals for news stories. No such organization exists
for the print media.

The mass media does not only reflect reality; they also create
reality. The relative absence of women from the communications
spotlight may serve as evidence of the social marginality of
women in Israel and their relative absence from the public
sphere.

Specific Actions and Achievements Since the Beijing Conference

+ In 1995, a committee of newspaper editors agreed upon
self-imposed restrictions in the advertising accepted for
publication, including prohibition of advertisements for
certain erotic services, "adult" telephone lines, and those
featuring children in sexual contexts.

+ The Commission of the Status of Women in Radio and Television
successfully lobbied for monitoring of the presentation of
public service announcements in the Israel Broadcasting
Association.

+ The Commission of the Status of Women in Radio and Television
sponsored a course for women within the Broadcasting Authority.
The Course provided information on women's rights, awareness
training with regard to the role of the media in the
advancement of the status of women, skills for working in
male-dominated workplaces, and personal and professional
empowerment.

+ This Commission also sponsored a one-day conference under the
tile, Do Women Communicate Differently. Heads of the Israel
Broadcast Authority and of the other electronic and print media
attended the well-publicized conference, which discussed issues
of gender and journalism.

K. WOMEN AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Strategic Objectives Mandated by the Beijing Platform for
Action

+ Involve women actively in environmental decision making at
all levels.

+ Integrate gender concerns and perspectives in policies and
programs for sustainable development.

+ Strengthen or establish mechanisms at the national, regional?
and international levels to assess the impact of development
and environmental policies on women.

An Overview of the Situation in Israel Today

The Israeli environmental movement is still in its nascent
stages. There are already a number of environmental
organizations, each of which has a slightly different
orientation. The recently-established Ministry of the
Environment also files lawsuits against corporate polluters and
works actively to protect the environment; the establishment of
this ministry reflects a relatively recent shift in attention
towards environmental issues. There is no distinct ecofeminist
movement, although several women are active in environmental
affairs.

Laws on recycling of paper and batteries already exist, and
there are restrictions on the use of chloroflourocarbons and
freon. The use of leaded gasoline has been significantly
reduced.

By law, women of childbearing age (16-45) are prohibited from
working in environments in which there is significant
likelihood of exposure to electromagnetic or radioactive
materials or lead at levels which would jeopardize the health
of a fetus. We note, however, that this protection of the fetus
may have been at the expense of the elimination of
environmental threat.
Over all, gender perspectives have not been integrated into
Israeli environmental planning, and planners do not address
gender-based differences. The planners tend to relate to the
needs of the "population at large", together with specific
needs of particular groups (e.g., education services for
children, welfare services for families in distress). Local
research shows that many women in Israeli society have a more
complex and difficult daily routine than men. However, the
urban male (and, most frequently, the Jewish, middle class,
healthy urban male) has remained the prototype for most
planning efforts.

The National Planning and Building Law (1965) stipulates that
this 30-plus member body must have at least one representative
of women's organizations. (Today, de facto, more women are
voting members because several participate as professionals).
However, no equivalent stipulation exists on other levels of
statutory planning.

Overall, women's roles in environmental policy-making are
relatively limited, largely due to the overall lack of women
pursuing careers in environmental sciences, engineering, urban
planning, and so forth.

The planning process must be empowering and participatory at
all stages, for all citizens. We assert that gender-sensitive
environmental planing is commensurate with "good planning".
There is much to be done by way of changing public attitudes
toward environmental protection and consumption.

L. THE GIRL CHILD

Strategic Objectives Mandated by the Beijing Platform for
Action

+ Eliminate all forms of discrimination against the girl child.

+ Eliminate negative cultural attitudes and practices against
girls.

+ Eliminate discrimination against girls in education, skills
development, and training.

+ Eliminate the economic exploitation of child labor and
protect young girls at work.

+ Eradicate violence against the girl child

+ Promote the girl child's awareness of and participation in
social, economic, and political life.

+ Strengthen the role of the family in improving the status of
the girl child.

An Overview of the Situation in Israel Today

In Israel, the basic rights of all girl children are recognized
and observed: All children (boys and girls alike) are
considered legitimate; any female or male child born in Israel
is automatically granted citizenship; all male and female
children are equally entitled to inherit from their fathers,
whether or not their mothers were married to the father. The
legal minimum age for marriage is seventeen for women; there is
no minimum for men.

With the passege of the Family Courts Law (1995), child support
allocation and enforcement will be handled by one centralized
court system within the magistrate court.
The Juvenile Labor Law (1953) generally prohibits work for
children under age fifteen (except under specific circumstances
such as holidays, vacations, etc.) There are restrictions on
the type of work children can do and the number of hours they
are permitted to work.

The influence of traditional religious structures cannot be
underestimated in understanding the development of social
attitudes and norms regarding gender equality and family
relations; boys and girls are differently socialized. In the
ultra-Orthodox community, many girls are denied some of the
freedoms of study and community involvement accorded to boys.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare maintains a unit for
those adolescent girls, ages 13-23, who are at risk of
alienation and juvenile delinquency. In 77 locations throughout
the country, in all sectors, this unit has set up hostels,
social clubs, external high schools, half-way houses and other
means to help these girls. The service is staffed by
professional social workers.

Achievements Since the Beijing Conference

+ The program to eliminate gender bias in the schools,
developed by a Women's NGO and adopted by the Ministry of
Education, has, as one of its objectives, the education of
adult teachers and parents about sexist practices and attitudes
that harm the growth and self-esteem of girl children.

+ As noted above. conscription into the Israeli Defense Forces
is a crucial socializing and legitimizing factor, for men and
women alike. The Ministry of Labor and Welfare has therefore
implemented a project to promote and guide girls for enlistment
into the Israel Defense Forces, particularly targeting girls
from weaker sectors of the population, whose psycho-social
profile would not entitle them to conscription. Ninety-five
percent of the girls who participate in these groups do
subsequently enlist in the IDF.

+ The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare has begun an
extensive program to train social workers in shelters and
Centers .for the Prevention of Violence to work with adult
violence against children.

+ The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare has established
eight Parent-Child Centers, for parents who for various reasons
can meet with their children only in a safe place under
professional supervision. However, this project is underfunded
and at risk of cancellation.