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When Israel declared its
independence in 1948, it vowed to ensure equality for all citizens,
regardless of religion, race, or gender. History shows, however, that this
promise has been broken in the case of women, who generally live under
circumstances significantly worse than those of men. Women in Israel is the first
comprehensive overview of discrimination in a state dominated by a
patriarchal religious order, and brings fresh insights to the efficacy of the
law in improving the status of women. Providing a sociological perspective on
women in Israel, Ruth Halperin-Kaddari examines all
aspects of Israeli women's lives, looking at legal issues such as affirmative
action, motherhood and the workplace, and mechanisms for the advancement of
women, as well as conditions of education, employment, health, family, and
prostitution.
While tracing legislative evolution in Israel, Halperin-Kaddari
discusses the extent to which law can create social change. Because of its
unique position as an economically developed democracy and yet a state where
government tries to maintain a special cultural traditions and religious
identity in a heterogeneous society, Israel has failed to adopt a single national
standard for women that would bring Israeli law into compliance with
international human rights. Halperin-Kaddarui
concludes that the improvement in women's status has not been due to
egalitarian consciousness, but rather is incidental to Israel's overall
socioeconomic advancement.
Ruth Halperin-Kaddari teaches law at Bar-Ilan
University. She is Chair of the Ruth and Emanuel Rackman
Center for the Advancement of the Status of Women, and wrote the official
Reports of the State of Israel to the UN Committee in the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
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