Israeli women make up less than third of top business posts - report

Women make up less than a third of management and board of directors positions in companies throughout Israel, according to the Na'amat - Movement of Working Women & Volunteers organization's Female Representation Index ahead of International Women's Day.

The report looked at 100 leading companies in the various sectors and industries that make up the Israeli economy. 

These companies were each randomly selected, with the ratio between men and women examined among both management and the boards of directors thanks to publically available information published in financial reports or on their websites.

How many women hold management roles, seats on the boards of directors in Israeli companies?

The Na'amat index found that on average, just 30% of board members and 27% of management members were women out of these 100 companies.

The sector that had the least amount of women was the aviation and tourism sector, where out of the seven large companies analyzed, women were just 20% of board members and 16% of management members.

The car industry didn't fair much better, with women making up just 23% of board members and 22% of management.

In academia, women made up just 27% of the equivalent of board members and 33% of management positions – and all four senior posts (president, CEO, board chairman and rector) were all men, with the exception of Open University and Reichman University.

State-owned companies fared significantly better, with women making up nearly half (48%) of board members, but still only making up 27% of management positions.

There was also relatively high representation for women in the banking and credit sector, making up an average of 41% of management positions, through representation on the board of directors was at just 28%.

"International Women's Day is a chance to celebrate our achievements, but also to examine the gender gap and the many challenges facing women – especially in the labor market," Na'amat chair Hagit Pe'er said. 

"The data speaks for itself, revealing major gaps in almost every sector in terms of male and female representation in senior posts."

Pe'er vowed to continue working to fight for gender equality forward and said plans on publishing a new Female Representation Index every year.