Skip to main content

The Paradox of Affirmative Action for Women Directors in Israel

  • Chapter
Women on Corporate Boards of Directors

Part of the book series: Issues in Business Ethics ((IBET,volume 14))

Abstract

On March 16, 1993, the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) passed an amendment to the Government Companies’ Act (1975). The main purpose of the amendment was to depoliticize the appointment of directors. The amendment (Amendment 6) defined criteria and procedures for the appointment of directors to the boards of government companies.2 Clause 18a of the amendment stated:

  1. a)

    In the makeup of the board of directors of a government company, appropriate3 expression will be given to the representation of both sexes.

  2. b)

    Until that time as the said appropriate representation is achieved, government ministers will appoint, to the extent feasible under the relevant conditions, directors from the sex which is not appropriately represented at that time on the company board.

I wish to thank Judith Lorber, Rachel Benziman and Neta Ziv for helpful comments on this paper. Material for this study was collected largely from personal participation in the various commissions and committees mentioned in this chapter and from interviews with numerous people associated with them.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Bacchi, C.L. (1996) The Politics Of Affirmative Action: Women Equality And Category Politics, Sage, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bank of Israel, (1998) Annual Report, Jerusalem. ( Hebrew).

    Google Scholar 

  • Ben-Israel, R. (1998) Equal Opportunity And Anti-Discrimination At Work, Open University, Tel-Aviv. ( Hebrew )

    Google Scholar 

  • Burke, R.J. (1994) Women on corporate board of directors: Forces for change?, Women in Management Review 9, 27 – 31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Comptroller General (1989) Annual Report,no. 40, Jerusalem.(Hebrew).

    Google Scholar 

  • Comptroller General (1998) Report On The Appointment Of State Directors In Government Companies,Jerusalem. (Hebrew).

    Google Scholar 

  • Connell, R.W. (1994). The state, gender and sexual politics: Theory and appraisal. in H. L. Radtke and H.J. Stam (eds.), Power/Gender: Social Relations In Theory And Practice, Sage, London, pp. 136 – 173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fox Piven, (1984) Women and the state: Ideology, power and the welfare state, Socialist Review 14, 11 – 19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herzog, H. (1996) Why so few? The political culture of gender in Israel. International Review of Women and Leadership, 2, 1 – 18

    Google Scholar 

  • High Court of Israel (1994) 453/94, 454/94 Israel Women’s Network v. Government of Israel et al.,PD (5) 501.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huse, M. (1998) How women directors challenge theories of boards of directors, Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Management, San Diego Aug. 7 – 12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Izraeli, D.N. (1981) The Zionist women’s movement in Palestine — 1911–1927: A sociological analysis, Signs, 7, 187 – 114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Izraeli, D.N. (1992) Women and work: From collective to career, in B. Swirski and M. Safir (eds.), Calling the Equality Bluff, Pergamon, N.Y., pp. 165 – 177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Izraeli, D.N. (1994) Outsiders in the promised land: Women managers in Israel, in N.J. Adler and D.N. Izraeli (eds.), Competitive Frontiers: Women Managing in a Global Economy Blackwell, Cambridge, MA, pp. 301–324..

    Google Scholar 

  • Izraeli, D.N. (1998) Women’s Representation In Boards Of Government Companies: 1993–97, Unpublished report, Bar-Ilan University, Israel. ( Hebrew )

    Google Scholar 

  • Izraeli, D.N. and Talmud, I. (1997) Getting aboard: Mode of recruitment and gender composition: The case of women directors in Israel, International Review of Women and Leadership 3, 26 – 45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koberski Commission (1989) Report Of The Public-Professional Commission For The General Investigation Of Government Service And Bodies Supported By The State Budget. Jerusalem. ( Hebrew )

    Google Scholar 

  • MacKinnon, C.A. (1987). Difference and dominance: On sex discrimination, in C.A. MacKinnon (ed.), Feminism Unmodified: Discourses On Life And Law, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, pp. 32 – 45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Markovitch A.D. (1998) The impact of affirmative action: A case study of directors in government companies in Israel, Unpublished master’s degree thesis, Bar-Ilan University, Israel. ( Hebrew).

    Google Scholar 

  • Mattis, M.C. (1993) Women directors: Progress and opportunities for the future. Business and the Contemporary World, 5, 140 – 156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mattis, M.C. (1997) Women on corporate boards: Two decades of research. International Review of Women and Leadership 3, 11 – 25.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGregor, J. (1997) Making the good woman visible: The issue of profile in New Zealand corporate directorship, International Review of Women and Leadership 3, 1 – 11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Molyneux, M. (1985). Mobilization without emancipation? Women’s interests, the state and revolution in Nicaragua, Feminist Studies 11, 227 – 54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Namir Commission (1978) Prime Minister’s Commission on the Status of Women,Jerusalem.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radai, F. (1995) On affirmative action, Law and Government, 3, 145–172 (Hebrew)

    Google Scholar 

  • Savage, Mike (1992). Women’s expertise and men’s authority: Gendered organization and the contemporary middle class, in M. Savage & A. Witz (eds.), Gender and Bureaucracy. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scokpol, T. (1992) Protecting Mothers and Soldiers: The Political Origins of Social Policy in the United States,Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA:

    Google Scholar 

  • Spelman, E.V. (1988) Inessential Woman: Problems of Exclusion in Feminist Thought,Beacon Press, Boston. Talmud, 1. and lzraeli, D.N. (in press) The relationship between gender and performance issues of concern to directors: Correlates or institution? Journal of Organizational Behavior

    Google Scholar 

  • Yishai, Y. (1997) Between The Flag And The Banner — Women In Israeli Politics,State University of New York Press, N.Y.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ziv, N. (in press) Civil rights and disability law in Israel and the United States: A comparative perspective. Israel Yearbook of Human Rights,Tel- Aviv University.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2000 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Izraeli, D. (2000). The Paradox of Affirmative Action for Women Directors in Israel. In: Burke, R.J., Mattis, M.C. (eds) Women on Corporate Boards of Directors. Issues in Business Ethics, vol 14. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3401-4_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3401-4_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5395-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-90-481-3401-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics