Gender Segregation, Effacement, and Suppression: Trends in the Status of Women inIsrael

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze the phenomenon of the exclusion of women from the public sphere in Israel. The article describes some of the causes of this phenomenon, its impact on Israeli society, and the difficulty in confronting it. Israeli women have made impressive gains on many fronts, but the exclusion of women from the public sphere as a result of the influence of the growing Ultra-Orthodox minority, which imposes its norms on the general public, raises serious concerns. The exclusion of women manifests itself in several forms: gender segregation in public spaces, the effacement of women's images from the public sphere, and the suppression of women's voice. The infiltration of Orthodox Jewish fundamentalism into Israeli society may cause the regression of advancements previously made in women's rights in Israel. The article points to the limitations of the treatment of this phenomenon within a theory of multiculturalism, and suggests an alternative framework of discourse, which relies on concepts that are drawn from the literature on environmental ethics, public rights, and public ownership of space and resources.T he aim of this article is to analyze the phenomenon of the exclusion of women from the public sphere in Israel. I will describe some of the causes of this phenomenon, its impact on Israeli society, and the difficulty in confronting it.The status of women in Israel is paradoxical. On the one hand, there have been impressive gains in the advancement of women in many domains, while on the other there have recently been serious setbacks in their status. These setbacks are due to an accelerated process of radicalization of Orthodox Jewish fundamentalism among some religious communities and their political leaders. 1 These trends are met with sharp, albeit mostly ineffective, opposition and demonstrations from women and men, both religious and secular.The literature on gender inequity and discrimination against women in various societies and cultures is abundant. Much of the discussion is conducted within the framework of a theory of multiculturalism

Women’s centrality of life domains: the Israeli case

“…Allon (2013) points out a paradoxical trend in Israeli society regarding the status of women, noting impressive gains of women in many areas concurrent to serious setbacks in others due the radicalization of attitudes toward women in the Haredi community. Due to the growing political power of the Haredi, the latter impacts not only the lives of women in that community, but often in public spaces and events.…”

“…Their insightful presentation of the substantial efforts undertaken by Haredi religious and lay leadership to dictate the role of women in Haredi society may reflect an increasing need to legitimize a community structure experiencing both internal and external strains (Berger and Luckmann, 1967). Allon (2013) points out a paradoxical trend in Israeli society regarding the status of women, noting impressive gains of women in many areas concurrent to serious setbacks in others due the radicalization of attitudes toward women in the Haredi community. Due to the growing political power of the Haredi, the latter impacts not only the lives of women in that community, but often in public spaces and events.…”

Intimate Partner Violence in an Orthodox Jewish Community in the United States: A Qualitative Exploration of Community Members’ Perspectives

“…Orthodox Jews abide by a high degree of gender segregation that limits interactions between members of the opposite sex to avoid the sexual stimulation of men (Allon, 2013), including the laws of touch, shomer negiah, where Orthodox men and women do not engage in physical contact, with exception to their spouse, or immediate family (Wehbe-Alamah et al, 2021). Jewish law prohibits Orthodox men from hearing women's singing voices; as such, women are not allowed to lead religious prayers or rituals (Borts, 2021).…”