Why is Avital voting Labor? Women's rights

As a woman who expects, and demands, to be seen as any man's equal, I highly value the Labor Party's platform on advancing women's rights in Israel.

Upon perusing the Party's platform on civil society, democracy and the rule of law, I came across an entire section entitled Gender and the Status of Women. I learned that the Party intends to advance gender equality in a few key ways:

·  Increasing representation of women in all areas of government through legislation ensuring representation in various positions, Party institutions, and Knesset lists

·  Considering the influence of law on mainstream gender roles when setting Party policy

·  Closing the wage gap through enforcement of existing labour laws, as well as adjusting working hours to be better suited to raising a family, both for men and women

·  Bolstering female participation in the workforce with **free education from age 3 months**, as well as investing in public services with typically high female employment such as education and geriatric care.

·  Equal investment in the field of health – a vital issue in the fight for women's rights!

For anyone who loves and respects women, and who is frightened and dismayed by recent threats to basic gender equality in Israel, a vote for Labor demonstrates the hope and belief that We can Do Better

In the words of Labor chair Shelly Yachimovitch,

“We can't go on with business as usual. It's time for change.”

-Avital, an olah from Canada