The Minhalim Project

proudly feminist

Advancing the Representation of Women in Communal Administrations (2021-2)

We undertook this project in order to radically alter the picture of women’s representation at the level of the communal administrations in this city. Jerusalem’s model for governance is unique. The city is divided into 31 communal administrations and through them, the City Council implements its decisions and governs. The administrations have responsibility for implementation of decisions on issues such as infrastructure, education, social welfare and use of public space. This makes membership of the administrations significant. Each administration has nine members elected by residents and a further six members appointed by and representing the City Council. After nearly a decade without elections, in 2020, three rounds of elections were scheduled for 2021-22. Prior to elections, the representation of women stood at just 14%.
Our goal was to significantly raise the number of women elected.
At the end of the three rounds, completed in April, 2022, we had made some progress towards our desired outcome. Although still a long way from 50%, we were encouraged by the incremental increase of women candidates and electoral turnout. We still have work to do.

The Challenge

The representation of women in communal administrations, a level of government which has a direct impact on peoples’ lives, is very low.

The Desired Outcome

To increase the representation of women to parity – 50%.

Our Plan of Action

To conduct research into the factors preventing appropriate representation of women and to make the results know to the public; to encourage women to run for election, to support them through their candidacy by providing them with tools and resources; to call to the public to vote in the elections and, particularly, to vote for women.

The project comprised a variety of initiatives

The Research Commissioned from the Jerusalem Institute

We believe in the aphorism that knowledge is power.

Our approach before undertaking any project is to learn whatever we can about the topic and, when necessary, approach experts to uncover information not in the public arena. Such was the case with the communal administrations. When we began researching ourselves, we realised that there was a dearth of information not only about the representation of women but about their protocols, function and modus operandi in general. As this is a model of governance unique to Jerusalem, we approached the Jerusalem Institute, known for its excellence. We asked them to focus particularly on matters related to the representation of women, both factors impeding them and where opportunities might lie. The research was to include historical background but was to primarily investigate the current situation and to identify those factors that would be relevant for the future. Following is an extract from the executive summary.

From the report

The Communal Administrations in Jerusalem are a unique Jerusalem institution to govern neighbourhood life with the involvement of local residents. The administrations seek to reflect the policies and activities of the City Council. They are a tool to strengthen the connection between the residents and the municipality and to provide cultural and social and community services to the residents of Jerusalem, recognising the diverse needs and character of its various neighbourhoods. In recent decades, there has been a significant increase in the numbers of women engaged in political life. Despite that, women still suffer from severe underrepresentation on the national and local levels of government and thus are excluded from the centres of decision-making in matters of public interest. The research underscores the severe underrepresentation of women in the communal administrations, examines the obstacles and difficulties women face as they try to redress this inequality and makes recommendations about what might be done.

minhalim project