President’s Wife Demands Equality In Hi-Tech

Michal Herzog, wife of Israeli’s president, urged 300 women hi-tech leaders to demand equality in the workplace. 

She was addressing the Women CEO Summit at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, ahead of today’s International Women’s Day.

“We believe that the female minority in the hi-tech industry does not stem from a lack of skills, but from a lack of opportunities,” said Herzog, an Israeli lawyer.

“Like her, we do not ask for shortcuts, but demand an equal opportunity. We aspire that women’s education for excellence and technological literacy will become a supreme goal; And strive to equip girls, girls and women with the skills basket that is needed for the next generation to move forward in this important and central industry.”

The summit discussed the challenges women face in the h-tech sector, and the actions needed to make a change. There were panels and lectures discussing how women can promote other women, how thecan be encouraged to enter the hi-tech world, and the actions needed for more women to reach managerial positions. 

“We know that in order to live in a diverse, just and prosperous society, it is not enough for women to have their own rooms,” said Herzog.

 “It is necessary for every meeting room to have a significant female presence; that around all the decision-making tables sit opinionated women who will make their voices heard;

“And that a significant female presence in high-tech offices and in the leadership of the industry will become a matter of course for us, just like the right of women to own their own property, vote in elections and study at university.”

Among the guests were also chairman of the Women’s Forum of the Manufacturers’ Association, Ofra Chen, CEO of the Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women, Ayelet Razin Beit Or, Hani Shtrit Bach, senior vice president of the Stock Exchange.