Earn 32% less than men, more single mothers over 45

Illustration (Photo: shutterstock)

In the past decade, the rate of single mothers over 45 in Israel has jumped – according to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, published today (Thursday), ahead of International Women’s Day, which will be announced on Sunday. According to the data, as of 2018, about 49% of Jewish single women (and the other sectors except Arabs) between the ages of 45 and 49 are mothers, roughly three times compared to 2007, so their share was about 17%. The Arab sector also experienced a similar increase in the number of single mothers in this age group, from 5% to 16%. As of the end of 2018, 4,517,400 women are living in Israel, of which 73% are aged 15 and over. Life expectancy in Israel is 84.8 years among women and 80.9 years among men.

According to the data, about 10% of Jewish women (and the majority of women from non-Arab populations) aged 45-49 are single, compared to about 6% a decade ago. 51% of Jewish women (and the rest of the non-Arab population) are 25-29 married, compared with 55% a decade ago. By the age of 45, the Arab bachelor’s rate is lower than the Jewish one, followed by a reversal: 73.5% of Arab women aged 25-29 are married, compared with 81% a decade ago. The proportion of unmarried Arab women aged 45-49 remains similar to what it was a decade ago – about 12% versus about 11% (respectively). 50,029 women married in 2017. About 90% of them first married, and their average age was 25 years, compared to 24.8 years in 2007. The proportion of divorced women is higher than that of men of all age groups, a fact that is mainly due to men’s tendency to marry faster than women after divorce.

In addition, the average age at which women in Israel give birth to their first child is 27.7 as of 2018, two years more than in the early 2000s. 5.6% of all babies born to Jewish women are single, double than in 2000: 179,800 women gave birth during 2018. About 29% of them gave birth to their first child, about 27% to their second child and 44.5% to their third child. The average number of children a woman in Israel is expected to have during her lifetime is 3.09 children, higher than the average in OECD countries, which stands at 1.7.

Among 12th-graders, the rate of matriculation certificate for girls is higher than for boys – 71.2% compared to 60.6%, respectively. In 2007/1998, approximately 317,000 students and students studied in Israel, of whom about 187 A thousand women, representing about 59%. By comparison, in the year 1969/70, women comprised about 43% of all students.

88% of women are satisfied with their lives, similar to the men’s rate. 90% of employed women are satisfied with their work and 58% are satisfied with their income. About 72% of households with one earner are male. 50% of mothers of children up to age 17 who work full-time (35 hours or more per week) report dissatisfaction with work-life balance and other areas of their lives. 28,000 criminal law judgments were given to the residents of Israel in 2017, about 90% of them men and only about 10% women.

The figures also show that the proportion of men 20 and older who say they feel safe walking alone in their area of ​​residence during the dark hours is higher than the rate of women – about 91% versus about 78% (respectively).

In addition, ahead of International Women’s Day, WIZO published its annual “Glass Ceiling” index, which compiles data on the status and representation of women in the various systems and the distribution of state resources between men and women.

According to the index data, women earn an average of 32% less than men; The incoming Knesset will only serve 30 women, a quarter of whom are elected; Only one woman is the president of a university out of nine universities in Israel; Of the five largest banks in Israel, only one is headed by the International Bank, compared to three women in the past year; Women spend 58% more time a week than men in household and child care; And by 2020, the World Economic Forum has raised Israel’s gender inequality rating. Highlights – For the first time in 2018, a mayor was appointed to one of the three major cities, Einat Kalish-Rotem in Haifa, and for the first time a squadron headquarters was appointed.

WIZO World Chairman Anita Friedman said: “Despite significant achievements in recent years, there are still incomprehensible gaps between women and men in key areas of life. In some areas there has also been a withdrawal in the situation of women. The distribution of public resources must be equal and reflect the proportion of women in the population, which stands at 51%. “