Women in Israel: A State of Their Own

Ruth Halperin-Kaddari

University of Pennsylvania Press, Jan 12, 2004 - History - 363 pages

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 sociolegal perspective on women in Israel viewed, 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 tradition 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-Kaddari 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.

Contents

• Introduction: 3
• Gender Equality in the Israeli Legal System 24: 24
• The Promotion of Gender Equality: 43
• Women and Health Care: 69
• Education: 82
• The Welfare State: 98
• The Work Women Do: 112
• Political and Public Life: 136
• POWER POLITICS BODY POLITICS: 173
• The Exploitation of Women: 205
• Marriage and Family Life: 227
• Multiple Voices: 263
• Conclusion: 287
• Notes: 293
• Bibliography: 327
• Index: 347

About the author

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 on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Women in Israel: A State of Their Own; Pennsylvania Studies in Human Rights
• Author: Ruth Halperin-Kaddari
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004
• ISBN: 0812237528, 9780812237528
• Length: 363 pages
• Subjects: History / Middle East / Israel & Palestine; Law / Civil Rights; Law / Gender & the Law; Political Science / Civil Rights; Political Science / History & Theory; Political Science / Human Rights; Social Science / Discrimination; Social Science / Feminism & Feminist Theory; Social Science / Gender Studies; Social Science / Sociology / General; Social Science / Women's Studies