A record number of women are expected to serve in the next Knesset, according to an analysis released Tuesday by the 5050 initiative, an organization dedicated to advancing gender equality in government.
Based on an amalgamation of several poll results as of October 16, the 5050 initiative projects that around 33 women will be elected to serve in the next Knesset, whereas the current Knesset is made up of 31 women and 89 men.
The highest projection analyzed by the 5050 initiative indicates that a record-breaking 35 women will be elected, whereas the lowest projected figure would maintain the same demographics as the current government, with 31 women.
If the current coalition forms the next government, only seven of 56 MKs would be women, fewer than the current nine female coalition MKs.
If the opposition bloc has the opportunity to form the next government, an unprecedented 24 women will serve in the potential coalition.
Female representation in Likud shrinking
The most stark gender imbalance among parties is in Likud, according to the 5050 initiative, and reflects a shrinking number of female representatives in the current coalition’s largest party.
Of the 22 MKs on the Likud list for the upcoming election, only three women are expected to win seats in the next government. This is compared with 2020, when Likud’s 36 MKs included 10 women. Of the 32 Likud MKs currently in the Knesset, only seven are women.
No female MKs are expected to be elected from the Shas or United Torah Judaism parties, and only one woman is projected to be among the Religious Zionist Party’s six MKs.
The analysis also predicted that Otzma Yehudit and Yisrael Beytenu will each have two women among their eight MKs.
Yashar and B'Yachad are expected to put forward the largest proportion of female MKs. Half of each party’s representatives are women, with 11 and six women projected to obtain seats in the next government.
Yael Yechieli, the founder of the 5050 initiative, emphasized that the true number of female representatives in government will be decided by voters, not by the polls.
“I call on the public to look at the lists and ask what kind of government you want to see formed,” Yechieli urged. “One in which men and women are partners, or one that excludes women.”