Israeli Media DiscriminateAgainst Women in Politics
A report composed by women journalists reveals that the Israeli media relate to female politicians in a sexist manner, especially those of Middle Eastern or North African origin.
A group of women journalists has investigated for five months the attitude of the Israeli media toward women in politics, focusing on the 2013 Knesset elections. The investigation — so it was defined — tracked expressions of sexism, racism or both, in various media. The material was gathered mostly from newspapers, TV, radio talk shows and social networks.
The results reflect Israel’s media at its ugliest — sexist and racist, with its targets being especially women of Middle Eastern and North African origin. A special chapter is devoted to Knesset member Miri Regev of the Likud Party. The report will be presented Tuesday, Oct. 29, at a conference on "Strategies to Combat Racism."
The initiative for the study stemmed from Achoti, or Sister, a feminist movement devoted to the advancement of oriental Jewish women, and Shatil, an organization dedicated to promoting social change. The findings were collated by Dorit Abramovich, a social activist and one of the authors of the final report. In an interview with Al-Monitor, she revealed some of the findings for the first time.
This is not an academic study. It’s an investigation with predetermined findings. Do you not see this as a problem?
