Mixing tradition and modernity: The Jewish female professional

When taking a look back at both Jewish history and Jewish tradition, one is able to witness remarkable changes not only in how our lives have changed on the practical level, but also how tradition has evolved to better match technological or social advancements. Perhaps this understanding can be best appreciated when analyzing the changing role of the Jewish woman in her greater society—while still strictly adhering to halacha and norms of privacy and modesty.

Even more so, this trend can potentially be understood most remarkably when we look at modern Israeli society and how it has changed in a very short period of time.

 The age-old traditional perspective on the Jewish woman offers a diminished role for the woman in relation to her male counterpart. This dates all the way back to Adam and Eve, when man was “awarded” with the role of the worker or the “breadwinner,” whereas the woman was conversely “punished” to bear the pains of childbirth and assume the responsibilities of a homemaker.

Over the generations, this dynamic created a situation in which the woman was subjugated into a lesser role in society, so that an inherent “inequality” existed between the genders. 

It is therefore remarkable to look at Israeli society today. Some 70 percent of women in Israel are gainfully employed. And without entering into the debate over the wages of men and women, 30 percent of women are in management positions on par to, or exceeding, the rank of men in comparable fields. Even if these numbers seem lower than they should be, one would be wise to look even just 15 or 20 years back—when less than half of Israeli women were working in steady jobs and the number of female executives was miniscule.