This is the 11th publication of the Gender Index, an innovative and groundbreaking tool developed by WIPS—The Center for the Advancement of Women in the Public Sphere at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute. The Gender Index provides broad-ranging evaluation of the inequality between men and women in Israel over time, in various areas of life: work, education, poverty, political and economic power, culture, violence, division of time, health, center-periphery relations, Arab society, Ultra-Orthodox society, and age 65+. The calculation of the Index makes it possible to assign an overall score to gender inequality in Israel on the basis of the aggregate of the factors that determine the status of women in society.

What's new in the gender index for 2023? Two new indicators were added: the gender gap in in the time it takes to get to work in the time domain, and the gender gap in pension recipients in the age 65+ domain.

The last few years demonstrate how fragile are the achievements in the field of gender equality. Crises situations, such as the current war or COVID-19 have significant gender implications, as women and men are affected by these events in different ways. An adequate response to unique gender needs in such situations must be provided on an ongoing basis and be based on gender-sensitive data, such as the data provided by the Gender Index.

The Index enables us to see how gender inequality is a deeply rooted feature of Israeli society, and therefore provides a vital tool for decision-makers in government and public institutions in their efforts to narrow gender gaps and to strengthen Israel's democratic foundations.

The Gender Index in English can be downloaded in PDF form.