Under Israel’s 37th government, women’s rights and well-being have suffered a significant setback. A new report by Zulat Institute shows that this deterioration is not merely a byproduct of the war or the political and social crises of recent years, but is closely linked to the government’s efforts to transform Israel’s system of government and the populist, nationalist, and conservative ideology it has promoted.
The report examines the erosion of women’s status in six key areas:
- Weakening of democratic institutions that protect women’s rights
- Declining representation of women in politics and public institutions
- Expansion of gender segregation and exclusion of women
- Deterioration in women’s personal safety
- Expansion of the power and authority of religious institutions
- Promotion of an anti-liberal public discourse in which the right to gender equality is no longer taken for granted.
In the political and public spheres, the report identifies a sharp decline in women’s representation in the Knesset, the government, and key decision-making bodies. Their declining presence in policymaking is not an isolated development, but part of a broader pattern that includes the expansion of gender segregation in academia and public spaces, as well as measures undermining equality in women’s military service. This trend is reinforced by the growing power and authority of religious institutions, including religious courts, potentially subjecting women to systems that are not committed to the principle of equality and restricting their freedom of choice and autonomy – not only in matters of family law and personal status, but also in civil proceedings.
Alongside the erosion of women’s public and legal status, the report documents a severe deterioration in their personal safety. In 2025, 46 women were murdered – the highest number in recent years – and the use of firearms in femicides increased. The report links these developments to the national security minister’s policy of expanding the issuance of firearms licenses and to the police’s inadequate response to violence and crime, particularly in Arab society.
These developments are taking place against the backdrop of a broader shift in public and political discourse, in which gender equality is increasingly portrayed as a sectoral interest rather than a fundamental democratic principle. Ahead of the 2026 elections, the report seeks to highlight the connection between democratic backsliding and the erosion of women’s rights, emphasizing that protecting women’s rights is not separate from the struggle to preserve Israel’s democratic character, but an integral part of it.
