"This is not the country I dreamed of and felt I was building"
Ofra Strauss, Chairperson of the Strauss Group, noted that the Israeli government has forgotten "to enact laws in our favor, for women's equality"
"It is in the most important places for democracy and equality, in the government and in the Knesset, that we are currently hearing very difficult things," said Ofra Strauss, Chairperson of the Strauss Group, speaking at the Calcalist conference on women and the economy. According to her, "it is precisely in these places that the most important thing is forgotten, to push us forward, to enact laws in our favor, for women's equality, especially after the coronavirus that took us backwards after they locked us at home."
Strauss told the attendees that "everyone who has the stage has the right to influence. I looked at presentations and speeches and letters that I write in the company, and at the Sderot conference in 2003, the topics I chose were diversity and inclusiveness, these are topics that we sanctify at Strauss. In one of our boards, which has 66% women, one of the directors said: 'Maybe we should stop talking about gender equality and go with another target, we'll talk about other minorities.' We talked, but the issue of women remains central. We are an international company and women make up 50% of the population and also 50% of the workforce in Israel and around the world. This is a topic that remains on the agenda because we did not reach the goals we set. We have dozens and hundreds of projects related to empowerment.
"A McKinsey study from 2023 asks how it is possible that billions of dollars are invested in the issue of gender equality and the needle does not move. The conclusion is that we are not getting to the root of the problem. You need to understand why it doesn't move. There are things that need to be done much faster.
"My daughters don't always admire me, but in recent years, their friends have told them, 'it's amazing what your mother is doing, that she fights for women'. Mothers approach me with their daughters. I started walking tall because of it.
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"I'm going to be a grandmother soon and I have a feeling of failure. Our parents and grandparents promised us peace and it didn't happen. I promised equality and my daughter's wife is about to give birth, and what worries them is not only the child's future, but their own. So this is not the country I dreamed of and felt I was building. We influence the country, each and every one sitting here, and our voice is important. It should be heard, and it doesn't have to sound good and pleasant, but exactly how you feel."
