Israel to implement gender equality program
The Israeli government has approved a national plan to improve gender equality, to be implemented in 2015.
The recently renamed Authority to Promote Gender Equality aims to promote gender equality legislation in public and private sectors, and change corporate culture to raise awareness of gender inequality issues.
In addition, the authority will work to prevent discrimination, and provide equal representation across all sectors of Israeli society.
The nation’s gender gap is still relatively large, with little improvement over the past few years. The World Economic Forum’s 2014 Global Gender Gap Report ranked Israel 65th out of 142 countries.
Head of the authority Vered Swid said: "This is another achievement for the gender revolution. The proposal approved today will allow the continued promotion of gender equality in both the medium and long term."
Our author Solomon W. Polachek has written about the gender wage gap in developed countries, arguing that further policy intervention is needed to promote equality. He advocates measures to promote greater lifetime work for women such as providing access to day care and repealing marriage taxes.
Meanwhile, Nina Smith writes about increasing female representation on executive boards. She suggests implementing measures to balance the division of careers within the family unit, and improve development opportunities for women at all levels in business.
Read more here.
Related articles:
Equal pay legislation and the gender wage gap, by Solomon W. Polachek
Gender quotas on boards of directors, by Nina Smith