This study analyzes the discourse of feminine and feminist identity among Jewish-Israeli girls as... more This study analyzes the discourse of feminine and feminist identity among Jewish-Israeli girls as expressed over the Internet. The research questions are: What type of feminine identity is exhibited among Jewish-Israeli girls? What is the nature of their feminist identity? And what role does the Internet play in giving expression to these identities? The study focuses on discourse published on 44 blogs of girls on the occasion of International Women's Day (2011–2012). The claim is that Jewish-Israeli girls use their blogs as a tool for negotiating their ideological stance, even though their ideological discourse on the Internet is not necessarily any less hegemonic than the ideological discourse of girls outside the Internet. In fact, our analysis demonstrates interplay between feminism, post-feminism and anti-feminism. To complement Gill's elaboration of post-feminism as a sensibility, we offer the concept of a “feminist insensibility” to describe the entangled ideological discourse of girls.
ABSTRACT This study focuses on TV news coverage of women in the local elections held in Israel in... more ABSTRACT This study focuses on TV news coverage of women in the local elections held in Israel in 2008. The questions posed were: Did national TV news in Israel during the election campaign reflect the changes in the status of women in local politics that have occurred in the last two decades? How prominent was the representation of women politicians in national TV news coverage and what patterns did it display? The sample used in the study consisted of all items dealing with women that were broadcast by one of the national TV stations during the month prior to the local elections. All the news and current affairs broadcasts were analyzed. All items in which women candidates featured, as well as items dealing with issues relating to women in politics in general, were taped and transcribed. The study was based on an interpretive analysis employing the analytical tool of “media frames.” Although the extent of the coverage of women remained quite meager, this reflects the sociopolitical reality in which women politicians are still a small minority. However, whereas the literature emphasizes the negative stereotypical representation of women politicians, the national TV news representation of women in the local elections was more complex. On the one hand, it mirrored the patriarchal power structure, primarily the subordination of women to men, but on the other hand it also offered a forum for genuine feminist discourse.
This paper analyzes the work experience of Israeli-Palestinian women journalists who reside and w... more This paper analyzes the work experience of Israeli-Palestinian women journalists who reside and work in Israel for local news organizations or non-Israeli news agencies. It focuses on their experiences related to the intersected axes of their gender, ethnic, and national identities. Through thematic analysis of narrative interviews with 24 Palestinian women journalists, the study reveals that their work experiences vary between exclusion and inclusion among different news organizations. Israeli-Palestinian women journalists face barriers getting jobs at mainstream news agencies because of their accent; and when they apply to local Arab news organizations, they confront recruiting procedures based on a clan system that discriminates against women. However, a few of them report an advantage when trying to enter mainstream news organizations based on their image as an “authentic Arab woman.” Additionally, the study finds that the professional identity of all interviewees is closely con...
In this article we focus on the gendered national construction on Israeli stamps commemorating re... more In this article we focus on the gendered national construction on Israeli stamps commemorating renowned women over the course of Israel's history. We analyze gender construction on both the selection of the stamps and in their design. Based on analyses of the social role of women in Israeli historiography, archival documents, interviews with fourteen key figures involved in conceiving and designing the stamps, and the way stamp design constructs gendered memory, we outline major aspects of commemorating women in stamps: gender blindness, women's accomplishments, identity politics, and the emergence of gender as a theme. These are discussed in the context of gendering in official commemoration, the development of feminist historiography and discourse in Israel, and the conjunction of these issues and stamp design.
Global Perspectives on Women’s Leadership and Gender (In)Equality, 2020
The journalist Hannah Semer has always fascinated me. I grew up in Israel during the 1970s and 19... more The journalist Hannah Semer has always fascinated me. I grew up in Israel during the 1970s and 1980s, when Semer’s was one of the few women’s voices heard in the public arena, alongside figures such as politicians Shulamit Aloni, Geula Cohen, Tamar Gozansky, and Supreme Court Justice Miriam Ben-Porat. Semer was an exceptional figure; she broke through the glass ceiling of journalism in a way no other Israeli female journalist did before or has done since, and very few female journalists worldwide have equaled her professional and public achievements. Semer held jobs that traditionally were—and still remain—the exclusive preserve of male journalists: parliamentary correspondent, political correspondent, editorial writer on political affairs, and, most exceptionally, editor-in-chief of a daily newspaper for two decades.
This review, based on analysis of the abstracts of 271 academic publications, critically examines... more This review, based on analysis of the abstracts of 271 academic publications, critically examines the development of girlhood studies within a specific sociocultural context – Israeli society. By examining one particular context the authors hope to contribute to the discourse on the worldwide evolution of girlhood studies. The following research questions were posed: How did the body of literature on Israeli girls develop over time? What is the distribution of disciplines and topics represented? Who are the girls at the focus of the writing? What are the methodological and paradigmatic approaches adopted? The findings point to the tentative development of a girlhood studies perspective that began in the 1980s and expanded over time, revealing the spread and reclaiming of feminist theoretical tenets as embodied in the study of girls. The review both sheds light on the pace and the manner in which Western feminist ideas spread to a specific local arena, and identifies unique local inf...
Women in Politics and Media : Perspectives from Nations in Transition
Recently, Charlotte Adcock stressed the importance of studying various textual characteristics of... more Recently, Charlotte Adcock stressed the importance of studying various textual characteristics of political coverage within and between specific news formats and market sectors. The present paper conforms to Adcock's suggestion and focuses on a specific arena of news media–popular women’s magazines. The study considers the issue of how women politicians are covered in three major commercial Israeli women’s magazines: Are they covered in a stereotypically gendered manner, or does an alternative feminist report manage to filter through? The study focuses on two major female leaders in current Israeli politics: Tzipi Livni, the first Israeli woman to run for the office of prime minister, and Daphni Leef one of the initiators of the housing protest in Israel. The research corpus includes all items that focus the two leaders during the periods in which they played a part in the public discourse. The findings point to a less stereotypical representation of women politicians compared to traditional media representations in general. This is particularly true in the case of Livni. While the portrayal of Livni, a consensual, veteran and experienced politician, largely reflects gender blindness and to a lesser degree stereotypical and alternative representation, Leef’s representation is stereotypical due to her status as an outsider and her anti-hegemonic agenda. Contrary to the image of popular women’s magazines as being apolitical and perhaps anti-political, political portrayals can be detected in these magazines. We therefore conclude that these magazines are not perceived as an irrelevant arena for public discussion of civil and political topics.
The Palgrave International Handbook of Women and Journalism, 2013
This chapter draws from the most recent statistical data analyzing the status of women in journal... more This chapter draws from the most recent statistical data analyzing the status of women in journalism in Israel, as published in the Global Report on the Status of Women in the News Media (Global Report) (Byerly 2011). The aim of the chapter is to further explore that report’s data associated with the occupational status of women in the news media in Israel. The chapter begins with a short description of Israel, focusing on the gendered journalistic context. It then explores past research on the status of women in Israeli journalism and examines the findings of the Global Report survey.
Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies & Gender Issues, 2013
ABSTRACT Hannah Semer broke through the glass ceiling and glass walls of her profession in a way ... more ABSTRACT Hannah Semer broke through the glass ceiling and glass walls of her profession in a way no other Israeli female journalist had done before. This paper seeks to examine Semer's dual identities as a woman and a journalist and to analyze the nature of these two identities as evidenced in her work, by considering the following questions: What obstacles did Semer face as a woman in her profession and, more specifically, in positions assumed to be within exclusively male domains? How did she cope with these obstacles? Did she experience significant tension between the cultural definitions of femininity and of professionalism? And if she did, how did this sense of discord find expression in her work, and how did she resolve the tension and disharmony inherent in being a woman journalist? These questions are relevant to the discussion of relations between women and journalism both in Israel and worldwide.
This article studies the ways in which the interactions between female Israeli journalists and th... more This article studies the ways in which the interactions between female Israeli journalists and their male news sources are gendered and sexually structured. The article is grounded in feminist critiques of journalism as well as feminist organizational and work studies and it is based on examination of the narratives of individual experiences of 32 female Israeli journalists, working for 10 newspapers. I set forth the attitudes of the male sources toward the female journalists as the journalists perceive them, and then I examine the practices that the journalists adopt in order to cope with these attitudes. Finally, I both set forth and examine the views that these female journalists express concerning the legitimacy of their own practices. The research findings illustrate how gender and sexuality interact in journalism by showing the dynamic character of this process in organizations. The findings demonstrate that gender and sexuality are key aspects of the relationship between the ...
ABSTRACT An examination of 1012 stamps issued by Israel from May 1948 to June 2010 reveals a degr... more ABSTRACT An examination of 1012 stamps issued by Israel from May 1948 to June 2010 reveals a degree of fluctuation between national and cosmopolitan themes, with a significant rise towards cosmopolitanism in the second decade and an increase in nationalism in the third. Cosmopolitan themes again showed modest growth in the fourth decade, and have been rising steadily, if moderately, since 1988. The findings suggest that Israeli stamp issues constitute an arena of dynamic contention between the desire to maintain a particular national Israeli identity, and the desire to promote a worldview based on universal values.
This study analyzes the discourse of feminine and feminist identity among Jewish-Israeli girls as... more This study analyzes the discourse of feminine and feminist identity among Jewish-Israeli girls as expressed over the Internet. The research questions are: What type of feminine identity is exhibited among Jewish-Israeli girls? What is the nature of their feminist identity? And what role does the Internet play in giving expression to these identities? The study focuses on discourse published on 44 blogs of girls on the occasion of International Women's Day (2011–2012). The claim is that Jewish-Israeli girls use their blogs as a tool for negotiating their ideological stance, even though their ideological discourse on the Internet is not necessarily any less hegemonic than the ideological discourse of girls outside the Internet. In fact, our analysis demonstrates interplay between feminism, post-feminism and anti-feminism. To complement Gill's elaboration of post-feminism as a sensibility, we offer the concept of a “feminist insensibility” to describe the entangled ideological discourse of girls.
ABSTRACT This study focuses on TV news coverage of women in the local elections held in Israel in... more ABSTRACT This study focuses on TV news coverage of women in the local elections held in Israel in 2008. The questions posed were: Did national TV news in Israel during the election campaign reflect the changes in the status of women in local politics that have occurred in the last two decades? How prominent was the representation of women politicians in national TV news coverage and what patterns did it display? The sample used in the study consisted of all items dealing with women that were broadcast by one of the national TV stations during the month prior to the local elections. All the news and current affairs broadcasts were analyzed. All items in which women candidates featured, as well as items dealing with issues relating to women in politics in general, were taped and transcribed. The study was based on an interpretive analysis employing the analytical tool of “media frames.” Although the extent of the coverage of women remained quite meager, this reflects the sociopolitical reality in which women politicians are still a small minority. However, whereas the literature emphasizes the negative stereotypical representation of women politicians, the national TV news representation of women in the local elections was more complex. On the one hand, it mirrored the patriarchal power structure, primarily the subordination of women to men, but on the other hand it also offered a forum for genuine feminist discourse.
This paper analyzes the work experience of Israeli-Palestinian women journalists who reside and w... more This paper analyzes the work experience of Israeli-Palestinian women journalists who reside and work in Israel for local news organizations or non-Israeli news agencies. It focuses on their experiences related to the intersected axes of their gender, ethnic, and national identities. Through thematic analysis of narrative interviews with 24 Palestinian women journalists, the study reveals that their work experiences vary between exclusion and inclusion among different news organizations. Israeli-Palestinian women journalists face barriers getting jobs at mainstream news agencies because of their accent; and when they apply to local Arab news organizations, they confront recruiting procedures based on a clan system that discriminates against women. However, a few of them report an advantage when trying to enter mainstream news organizations based on their image as an “authentic Arab woman.” Additionally, the study finds that the professional identity of all interviewees is closely con...
In this article we focus on the gendered national construction on Israeli stamps commemorating re... more In this article we focus on the gendered national construction on Israeli stamps commemorating renowned women over the course of Israel's history. We analyze gender construction on both the selection of the stamps and in their design. Based on analyses of the social role of women in Israeli historiography, archival documents, interviews with fourteen key figures involved in conceiving and designing the stamps, and the way stamp design constructs gendered memory, we outline major aspects of commemorating women in stamps: gender blindness, women's accomplishments, identity politics, and the emergence of gender as a theme. These are discussed in the context of gendering in official commemoration, the development of feminist historiography and discourse in Israel, and the conjunction of these issues and stamp design.
Global Perspectives on Women’s Leadership and Gender (In)Equality, 2020
The journalist Hannah Semer has always fascinated me. I grew up in Israel during the 1970s and 19... more The journalist Hannah Semer has always fascinated me. I grew up in Israel during the 1970s and 1980s, when Semer’s was one of the few women’s voices heard in the public arena, alongside figures such as politicians Shulamit Aloni, Geula Cohen, Tamar Gozansky, and Supreme Court Justice Miriam Ben-Porat. Semer was an exceptional figure; she broke through the glass ceiling of journalism in a way no other Israeli female journalist did before or has done since, and very few female journalists worldwide have equaled her professional and public achievements. Semer held jobs that traditionally were—and still remain—the exclusive preserve of male journalists: parliamentary correspondent, political correspondent, editorial writer on political affairs, and, most exceptionally, editor-in-chief of a daily newspaper for two decades.
This review, based on analysis of the abstracts of 271 academic publications, critically examines... more This review, based on analysis of the abstracts of 271 academic publications, critically examines the development of girlhood studies within a specific sociocultural context – Israeli society. By examining one particular context the authors hope to contribute to the discourse on the worldwide evolution of girlhood studies. The following research questions were posed: How did the body of literature on Israeli girls develop over time? What is the distribution of disciplines and topics represented? Who are the girls at the focus of the writing? What are the methodological and paradigmatic approaches adopted? The findings point to the tentative development of a girlhood studies perspective that began in the 1980s and expanded over time, revealing the spread and reclaiming of feminist theoretical tenets as embodied in the study of girls. The review both sheds light on the pace and the manner in which Western feminist ideas spread to a specific local arena, and identifies unique local inf...
Women in Politics and Media : Perspectives from Nations in Transition
Recently, Charlotte Adcock stressed the importance of studying various textual characteristics of... more Recently, Charlotte Adcock stressed the importance of studying various textual characteristics of political coverage within and between specific news formats and market sectors. The present paper conforms to Adcock's suggestion and focuses on a specific arena of news media–popular women’s magazines. The study considers the issue of how women politicians are covered in three major commercial Israeli women’s magazines: Are they covered in a stereotypically gendered manner, or does an alternative feminist report manage to filter through? The study focuses on two major female leaders in current Israeli politics: Tzipi Livni, the first Israeli woman to run for the office of prime minister, and Daphni Leef one of the initiators of the housing protest in Israel. The research corpus includes all items that focus the two leaders during the periods in which they played a part in the public discourse. The findings point to a less stereotypical representation of women politicians compared to traditional media representations in general. This is particularly true in the case of Livni. While the portrayal of Livni, a consensual, veteran and experienced politician, largely reflects gender blindness and to a lesser degree stereotypical and alternative representation, Leef’s representation is stereotypical due to her status as an outsider and her anti-hegemonic agenda. Contrary to the image of popular women’s magazines as being apolitical and perhaps anti-political, political portrayals can be detected in these magazines. We therefore conclude that these magazines are not perceived as an irrelevant arena for public discussion of civil and political topics.
The Palgrave International Handbook of Women and Journalism, 2013
This chapter draws from the most recent statistical data analyzing the status of women in journal... more This chapter draws from the most recent statistical data analyzing the status of women in journalism in Israel, as published in the Global Report on the Status of Women in the News Media (Global Report) (Byerly 2011). The aim of the chapter is to further explore that report’s data associated with the occupational status of women in the news media in Israel. The chapter begins with a short description of Israel, focusing on the gendered journalistic context. It then explores past research on the status of women in Israeli journalism and examines the findings of the Global Report survey.
Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women's Studies & Gender Issues, 2013
ABSTRACT Hannah Semer broke through the glass ceiling and glass walls of her profession in a way ... more ABSTRACT Hannah Semer broke through the glass ceiling and glass walls of her profession in a way no other Israeli female journalist had done before. This paper seeks to examine Semer's dual identities as a woman and a journalist and to analyze the nature of these two identities as evidenced in her work, by considering the following questions: What obstacles did Semer face as a woman in her profession and, more specifically, in positions assumed to be within exclusively male domains? How did she cope with these obstacles? Did she experience significant tension between the cultural definitions of femininity and of professionalism? And if she did, how did this sense of discord find expression in her work, and how did she resolve the tension and disharmony inherent in being a woman journalist? These questions are relevant to the discussion of relations between women and journalism both in Israel and worldwide.
This article studies the ways in which the interactions between female Israeli journalists and th... more This article studies the ways in which the interactions between female Israeli journalists and their male news sources are gendered and sexually structured. The article is grounded in feminist critiques of journalism as well as feminist organizational and work studies and it is based on examination of the narratives of individual experiences of 32 female Israeli journalists, working for 10 newspapers. I set forth the attitudes of the male sources toward the female journalists as the journalists perceive them, and then I examine the practices that the journalists adopt in order to cope with these attitudes. Finally, I both set forth and examine the views that these female journalists express concerning the legitimacy of their own practices. The research findings illustrate how gender and sexuality interact in journalism by showing the dynamic character of this process in organizations. The findings demonstrate that gender and sexuality are key aspects of the relationship between the ...
ABSTRACT An examination of 1012 stamps issued by Israel from May 1948 to June 2010 reveals a degr... more ABSTRACT An examination of 1012 stamps issued by Israel from May 1948 to June 2010 reveals a degree of fluctuation between national and cosmopolitan themes, with a significant rise towards cosmopolitanism in the second decade and an increase in nationalism in the third. Cosmopolitan themes again showed modest growth in the fourth decade, and have been rising steadily, if moderately, since 1988. The findings suggest that Israeli stamp issues constitute an arena of dynamic contention between the desire to maintain a particular national Israeli identity, and the desire to promote a worldview based on universal values.
Recently, Charlotte Adcock stressed the importance of studying various textual characteristics of... more Recently, Charlotte Adcock stressed the importance of studying various textual characteristics of political coverage within and between specific news formats and market sectors. The present paper conforms to Adcock's suggestion and focuses on a specific arena of news media–popular women’s magazines. The study considers the issue of how women politicians are covered in three major commercial Israeli women’s magazines: Are they covered in a stereotypically gendered manner, or does an alternative feminist report manage to filter through? The study focuses on two major female leaders in current Israeli politics: Tzipi Livni, the first Israeli woman to run for the office of prime minister, and Daphni Leef one of the initiators of the housing protest in Israel. The research corpus includes all items that focus the two leaders during the periods in which they played a part in the public discourse. The findings point to a less stereotypical representation of women politicians compared to traditional media representations in general. This is particularly true in the case of Livni. While the portrayal of Livni, a consensual, veteran and experienced politician, largely reflects gender blindness and to a lesser degree stereotypical and alternative representation, Leef’s representation is stereotypical due to her status as an outsider and her anti-hegemonic agenda. Contrary to the image of popular women’s magazines as being apolitical and perhaps anti-political, political portrayals can be detected in these magazines. We therefore conclude that these magazines are not perceived as an irrelevant arena for public discussion of civil and political topics.
The aim of the chapter is to explore the occupational status of women in the news media in Israel... more The aim of the chapter is to explore the occupational status of women in the news media in Israel. The chapter begins with a short description of Israel, focusing on the gendered journalistic context. It then explores past research about the status of women in Israeli journalism and examines the findings of the The Global Report on the Status of Women in News Media. The data presented reflect the contradictions marking the status of women in Israel. Although the findings indicate some gendered parity in journalism, especially when comparing Israel to other countries, major gender-based differences still remain. The findings do not point to direct discrimination against women in journalism, but they do indicate that women must contend with indirect causes of inequality.
Lachover, E. (2008). Women Journalists in ISRAEL. In R. Froelich and S. A. Lafky (Eds.) Women jou... more Lachover, E. (2008). Women Journalists in ISRAEL. In R. Froelich and S. A. Lafky (Eds.) Women journalists in the Western world. What surveys tell us. (179-200). Cresskill, New Jersey: Hampton Press.
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Papers by Einat Lachover
The study considers the issue of how women politicians are covered in three major commercial Israeli women’s magazines: Are they covered in a stereotypically gendered manner, or does an alternative feminist report manage to filter through?
The study focuses on two major female leaders in current Israeli politics: Tzipi Livni, the first Israeli woman to run for the office of prime minister, and Daphni Leef one of the initiators of the housing protest in Israel. The research corpus includes all items that focus the two leaders during the periods in which they played a part in the public discourse.
The findings point to a less stereotypical representation of women politicians compared to traditional media representations in general. This is particularly true in the case of Livni. While the portrayal of Livni, a consensual, veteran and experienced politician, largely reflects gender blindness and to a lesser degree stereotypical and alternative representation, Leef’s representation is stereotypical due to her status as an outsider and her anti-hegemonic agenda.
Contrary to the image of popular women’s magazines as being apolitical and perhaps anti-political, political portrayals can be detected in these magazines. We therefore conclude that these magazines are not perceived as an irrelevant arena for public discussion of civil and political topics.