Guess What? Zero Women Lead Ministries in the U.S.

A surprising declaration came last week: Israel’s Minister for Social Equality plans to appoint a male individual as the Director General of her ministry—despite there being no women currently holding director general positions in over thirty governmental departments. This figure serves as a symbol not just of the administration's attitude towards female representation and equal opportunity values, but also highlights a wider disregard for legislation requiring sufficient gender diversity within public services.

Aside from the tenets of logic and the dedication to fairness, roughly two months prior, the highest court decided that the state is failing in its duty to ensure fair gender representation. It seems logical that this definitive judgment—highlighting the increasing lack of female representation within the present administration—would lead to corrective actions.

Even after that decision, five male Directors General were chosen consecutively. Is it really conceivable that among qualified candidates, no capable woman was available to head departments such as Finance, Innovation, Environmental Protection, Communications, or Defense? Clearly, this situation does not reflect reality. It merely underscores a blatant disregard for both the Supreme Court's judgment and legal responsibilities, along with an overall inadequate dedication to ensuring female participation. Instead of openly stating their non-compliance with court orders—as has occurred in similar instances recently—they opt to completely overlook the directive in this particular instance.

This troubling trend is further exemplified by the appointment of the leader for the newly established Ministry for Social Equality. This ministry’s core purpose revolves around promoting equality—specifically focusing on enhancing the standing of women and achieving gender parity within governmental ranks—and yet, it too will now fall under male leadership. Essentially, rather than serving as a model of compliance, adhering to its stated objectives, and encouraging others to follow suit, the Ministry for Social Equality appears complicit in blatantly flouting and showing disrespect towards legal standards.

In a world where not a single woman serves as a director general in government ministries, additional statistics are unnecessary to highlight the extent of the discrimination. However, should historical background be necessary, research conducted by scholars at the Israel Democracy Institute shows that between 2003 and now, just 38 out of 243 director-general positions—or about 16%—were filled by women. While disappointing for any administration in Israel, this percentage remains significantly above zero. During a recent meeting of the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women and Gender Equality, even grimmer figures emerged from the Knesset Research and Information Center concerning the low participation rates of Haredi women, Arab women, and women of Ethiopian origin in high-ranking governmental posts, with their numbers frequently falling into the single digits.

This reflects yet another example of a government that is out of step with the public. A recent IDI study It was found that 71% of people think the number of women in the Knesset, in the government, and in high-ranking public jobs needs to go up, aiming for gender equality. Just 25% were against this idea. It isn’t seen as a politically charged topic. The support spans from the political left (81%), through the center (90%), all the way to the right (60%) who favor boosting women’s presence in these roles.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court decreed that by August, the government needs to establish regulations ensuring proper female representation in political positions, covering roles like director generals. At present, it appears the administration must initially be prompted about adhering to fundamental legal duties prior to commencing work on these regulatory measures.

Adv. Anat Thon-Ashkenazy serves as the director of The Center forDemocratic Values and Institutions at the Israel Democracy Institute.

Participate in the discussion on The Times of Israel Blogs, where you can find a variety of perspectives from independent voices.