1
Have women journalists in Israel really integrated
into the profession?
Introduction
This paper
1
examines the effect of gender on the print media industry in Israel from
a feminist perspective. Its major goal is to delineate the gendered characteristics of
journalism as a profession in this country as it is expressed in different organizational
and occupational dimensions. It will demonstrate the gendered structure of Israeli
journalism in three respects: women’s share in the profession, their status and the
attitudes of men and women journalists regarding equal opportunity for both sexes.
From a feminist point of view the Israeli case is of great interest because Israel has a
unique social structure based on advanced democratic foundations that emphasize
gendered equality. At the same time, the nation’s social structure is shaped by many
systems that are sexually discriminatory
2
, such as the military. This kind of
ambivalence - formal gendered equality as opposed to informal gendered
discrimination - is a familiar pattern in other places around the world.
Exposing the gendered structure of this field is in itself important for two other
reasons. First, it is essential to expose the inequalities in the job market in this, as in
other areas. This is all the more so in professions relating to the media due to the
primacy of their role in the socialization process, particularly in the context of gender.
Second, understanding the gendered characteristics of journalism as a profession
can, in turn, explain the impact of gender on the news text.
In the Israeli case, of a result of the conflict that was existed between this country
and its neighbors since the establishment of the state, security and military values
have overshadowed social and civil values. These, in turn, have had a disproportionate
influence over the media agenda. The public discourse, which unequivocally
Page 1 of 24 
Convention