Na’amat President Discusses Women’s Representation in Israeli Public Roles

Hagit Pe’er, president of World Na’amat, said legal requirements for fair representation in public appointments have existed for years, yet only one woman currently serves as a Director-General across all Israeli government ministries. Pe’er stated the appointee is highly qualified and not selected for symbolic reasons.

She added that when decisions affect 51 percent of the population, the absence of women from decision-making rooms becomes structural rather than incidental.

Pe’er recalled a meeting with the chief executive of one of Israel’s largest employers, who reported that women made up 73 percent of the workforce but provided no figures for women in management positions. She said the response illustrated how responsibility for advancing women into leadership is frequently deferred.

Na’amat has funded scholarships for women in science since the 1980s and now emphasizes mentorship programs, professional networks, and training to move women from middle management into decision-making roles.

Pe’er said gender-equality education begins in Na’amat daycare centers, schools, and youth villages. She described one participant who completed undergraduate and graduate studies, relocated, and later obtained a senior local-government position after receiving Na’amat support.

She noted that roughly one-fifth of combat personnel in the Israeli military are women and that court rulings have established that all military roles should be open to women. Implementation remains uneven, she said, and public arguments over women’s service continue.

Pe’er rejected the description of the work as Sisyphean, citing concrete outcomes such as children returning to school and developmental issues identified early in Na’amat facilities.