Hotovely "investigating issue" ahead of International Women’s Day.
By LIDAR GRAVÉ-LAZIUpdated: MARCH 6, 2017 01:00A MOTHER hugs her baby soon after giving birth.(photo credit: REUTERS)
A majority of Israeli women see spending more time at home with their children as the most important issue facing women in Israel, according to the findings of a social-media poll conducted by MK Tzipi Hotovely (Likud).The poll, which included more than 800 female respondents, was initiated by Hotovely ahead of International Women’s Day, observed annually on March 8.According to the survey, 39% of women said having more hours per day with their children and fewer hours in the office is the most important issue.The aim of the survey was to gain an understanding of, and rank, the most important issues facing women and get an updated picture from women themselves on what they view as important in promoting their status in Israel.The second-most important issue, according to 34% of respondents, is equal pay between genders. According to the latest figures from the OECD, women in Israel earn some 22% less than their male counterparts – the fourth-biggest gap of OECD countries and some 33% above the OECD average.Additionally, 19% of women responded that subsidization of early childhood educational frameworks by the government, in order for mothers to be able to return to the workforce, is a central issue facing women. Eight percent of respondents cited the opportunity for women to enter public service as an important issue.“As a young woman in a demanding political role and as a mother of two young girls, it is important for me to promote the issue of advancing the status of women in Israel,” Hotovely said regarding the poll.“I want to hear from the women themselves, what they would want to change,” she added. “The constant conflict between home and career exacts a price from Israeli society and I am investigating the issue, where Israel stands in comparison to other countries in the West and how we can improve.”