Women's groups call Livni victory a step forward for gender equality

"This is a huge step forward for women," says president of the women's rights organization Na'amat.

By RUTH EGLASH
Women's groups have hailed Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni's victory in the Kadima primary as a sign of progress for women, saying it indicated that the Israeli public is ready to work towards gender equality in all spheres of society. "This is a huge step forward for women," said Talia Livni, president of the women's rights organization Na'amat (and no relation to the foreign minister) on Thursday. "It's about time we see some tangible successes achieved in gender equality and not just mere talk about it." She said that Livni's election success showed that Israelis are ready for a female prime minister. Rina Bar-Tal, chairperson of the Israel Women's Network (IWN), called the victory "a big day for the citizens of Israel in general and for women in particular. "I truly believe that she [Livni] will become a role model for other women who want to serve in politics," she continued. "It shows that if you want something bad enough and if you push hard enough, despite the odds, it can be achieved." Both Bar-Tal and Talia Livni said they were not surprised by the victory but agreed that Livni most likely does not see herself as a role model or a champion of women's rights, even though she is the first woman to be in the running for the premiership since Golda Meir, who led the country from 1969-74. "I don't know if Tzipi Livni sees herself as a representative of all Israeli women," observed Na'amat's Livni. "However, just the fact that she is in this position will help other women realize their dreams." She added: "Of course, I believe that any woman who gets to such a top position should continue to show her solidarity with other women, but even if she doesn't that does not stop her from becoming a figurehead or empowering others to do the same." Bar-Tal said that Livni's leadership highlighted a new era for Israeli politics and is reflective of a worldwide trend. She referred to US Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate, Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin, and to several other influential women in Israel, such as Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzhik and Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch. Despite these high-profile women's positive impact on gender equality in Israeli politics and society in general, a study published earlier this year by the IWN show that Israeli women have a relatively weak representation in government and legislature. In an international study conducted by the Interparliamentary Union in April 2008, Israel was ranked 79th in the percentage of women holding parliament seats. Women here hold only 17 out of 120 seats in the Knesset (14.2 percent), putting Israel behind countries such as Afghanistan, where women hold 27.7% of the seats, and Iraq, where women hold 25.5%. In addition, IWN research noted that only 11 women had ever held ministerial positions, including Golda Meir, Shulamit Aloni, Limor Livnat, Dalia Itzik and the three current female cabinet members, Ruchama Avraham-Balila, Yuli Tamir and Livni. The IWN insists that the only way to address this inequality is to pass legislation assuring that women hold a representative number of legislative seats, similar to laws in some Scandinavian countries where between 40%-50% of parliamentarians are women.