The Knesset plenum provided a disappointing glimpse into why women are less advanced than men in the labor market. MK Sharan Haskel took the podium to present a bill, with her infant daughter resting on her in a carrier. MK Bosu, deputy speaker of the Knesset, demanded that she leave the bimah, claiming that it was a violation of the Knesset bylaws.
The basis for the discussion is actually the Knesset Residence Law, the fourth section of which states that "no person shall enter the plenary meeting hall during its working hours except in accordance with a special permit." The daughters of intellect have appeared before in the plenary hall, but it seems that a speech on the podium is one step too far. She was prevented from presenting her bill, and in its place came up – symbolically – a male MK.
Paid maternity leave in Israel is 15 weeks. Child development experts all over the world recommend mother-child closeness for at least one year after birth, if not two years. The Israeli Ministry of Health recommends breastfeeding until the age of at least one year. One could argue that the mind should have found a nanny, or even just handed the baby over to a colleague for a few minutes. One could argue that she intended to make a provocation or attract attention. There is no doubt that the mind did not have to go up to speak with a baby in a baby carrier, but as a mother in a demanding job, who is at work at the hours when children usually begin showering and getting ready for bed, she probably wanted and chose to devote a short time of closeness to her daughter. What do we gain—and excuse me, what do we gain—when we slam her into having to choose between the two?
The mind did not invent the wheel (or the carrier). In 2021, Shirley Pinto showed up for voting in the Knesset with a baby less than a week old; Knesset Attorney General Sagit Afik the suction channel during the 2016 budget discussions; Members of parliament in Spain and Australia breastfed at the plenary session and even on the podium; And former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern brought a baby girl to the UN General Assembly hall.
But we all understand that the mind is not really the story here. According to data published by the Ministry of Finance's Chief Economist Department in 2021, the income gap created between men and women after the birth of their first child and a decade later is about 28 percent, which is why this gap is known as a "motherhood fine." By comparison, in Sweden, where paid maternity leave reaches up to a year and a half and includes three months of leave for fathers, the average salary of women is only about 10% lower than that of men.
The State of Israel does not and cannot afford higher maternity leave payments, and at the same time must agree that staying with the child should not be a privilege reserved for mothers who can afford it. If we want to see women under menopause in senior political and other demanding positions, we will need to soften the dichotomy between motherhood and meaningful work, and stop seeing the baby in a carrier as a sign of disrespect or lack of professionalism. It is perhaps worth remembering that MK Vaturi, who changed his mind on the podium, is the father of seven children, and that the reason he was never seen in the Knesset with a baby is probably due in part to great sacrifice on the part of his wife.
Having said all that, we must remember and remind: the responsibility for the decision to have children and the responsibility for raising them lies with the parents, and on them alone. A woman who has children knows the prices she will have to pay, and must be willing to meet them. Alongside the expectation that the professional space will be more tolerant of the presence of babies, it is the mother's responsibility to do so tactfully, coordinatedly and tastefully. But the public mindset must recognize that investing in the future generation is not a nuisance reserved for leisure time outside of productive work – it is productivity itself, and in any case it must be respected. Yes, even on the Knesset stage.
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