Over the years, women have been a minority in the Israeli Knesset. Their right to choose or to be chosen was not taken for granted and to this day they are fighting for their place. Through interviews with members of the Knesset, experts and women in the media, combined with rare archival materials, the series documents their struggle for representation in the Knesset in general and in the centers of political decision-making in particular, for legislation dealing with women’s affairs and the fight against gender inequality embedded in the power relations in the Knesset and for the possibility of advancing to party leadership and prime ministership. MKs past and present, from various parties, including Limor Livnat, Tzipi Livni, Panina Tamno Sheta, Merav Michaeli, Miri Regev, Ayelet Shaked, Zehava Galon, Aida Toma Saliman, Sheli Yachimowitz, Stav Shafrir and Naomi Hazan speak with rare frankness about their path to the Knesset As women in politics in all its guises
Episode 1 – For many years, women fought for their place and representation in the various parties. In the 24th Knesset, the number of members of the Knesset reached a record of 43, a record that obviously does not represent their number in the population. Members of the Knesset from all ends of the political spectrum tell about their path to the Knesset, the challenges and struggles on the way to and in the Knesset. Primaries, armories, series committees were part of the obstacle course on their way. Even if it seemed that their goal was to promote the entry of women into the Knesset, many times they delayed, created camps and lack of solidarity among the women and mainly fixed their low representation in real places. Academic and media women analyze the process over the years and in the political and social contexts of each creative period.
Episode 2: Why do we need women in the Knesset? Who is it important to? What can women do that men can’t? The Law to Prevent Sexual Harassment, the Abortion Law, the Cashiers Law and the Law on Criminalizing the Customer are just part of a long list of laws initiated and passed by women over the years in the Knesset, alongside impressive parliamentary work that has greatly changed the lives of women in Israel. Along with the impressive achievements, most of them all suffered from harassment, contemptuous treatment, offensive comments and massive opposition to the laws they wanted to pass on the part of men in their parties. In the 1990s, women from all ends of the political spectrum joined the lobby that promoted and passed hundreds of laws, rules and feminists alike, this was the heyday of women’s legislation in the Knesset. Over the years, factional discipline prevailed over female solidarity. The chapter is dedicated to the memory of Knesset member Marsha Friedman, who was the first to raise issues such as violence against women and a woman’s right to her own body in the Knesset.
Episode 3: It started well- Golda Meir was the third prime minister in the world! But since then no woman has been able to be appointed to the position. The Yom Kippur omission was attributed to Golda and women pay the price to this day. For many years there was unity in the government, until in the 24th Knesset we reached a record of 9 positions. However, to date there has not been a security minister or a treasury minister. In a rare frankness, the women who reached the top of the government share their experiences and the treatment they received during their tenure and how it made them understand the meaning of the cast ceiling that stands above their heads.
