On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2019 (Friday, March 8), Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics issued a special demographic report with stats mostly from the 2016-17. And so, without further ado:
The female population in Israel at end of 2017 was 4,433,560 (out of about 8.9 million), of whom 27.3% were age 14 and younger, and 12.8% were over age 65.
The average age of giving birth to a first child rose over the last decade, from 26.8 in 2006 to 27.6 in 2017.
The fertility rate of women in Israel: 3.11 children, compared with the OECD average of 1.7.
Babies born to single mothers accounted for 5.3% of all Jewish babies born in 2017.
Life expectancy for women in Israel is 84.6 (compared with 80.7 for men), a rise of 2.2 years over the decade of 2007-2017, compared with 2 years for men.
40.9% of Israeli women age 20 and older are overweight, compared to 55.4% of Israeli men.
Among 12th-graders, more girls than boys were eligible for a matriculation certificate – 70.9 % compared to 59.2% respectively.
Among Arabs, the disparity between male and female 12th-graders is greater. Of those fulfilling the qualifications to enter university, 56.6% were women and 37.8% men.
In the 2017/18 academic year, 59% of university students were women. Compare with 1969/70, when less than 50% of the students were women.
Among Arab students, 68.9% were women.
58.4% of BA students are women, as are 62.2% of MA students, 52.8% of doctoral students, and 74.3% of diploma students.
More than 80% of students in paramedical professions and education are women, but only 30-35% of the students in physical sciences, engineering, mathematics and computer sciences were female.
Participation in the labor force by women age 15 and over was 59.8%, compared to 68.2% of the men. More men than women were employed full-time.
Among both men and women, the unemployment rate was about 4%.
Women constituted 56.3% of employees in academic fields, and held 33.8% of managerial positions. 34% of hi-tech workers were women.
90% of working women are satisfied with their jobs, but only 56% are satisfied with their salaries.
Since 2007, the gender-based disparity in income decreased for salaried workers, but increased or was unpredictable among the self-employed.
Among married couples, in 67.2% of single-income households, the wage-earner is male. Among Arabs, the percentage is even higher.
Among the Haredim, the reverse is true – in 76.8% of single-income households, the wage earner is the woman.
Finally: out of 34,200 people tried for criminal offenses in Israel, only 7.5% were women.
45% of licensed Jewish drivers in 2018 were women.